Exile
by Glory For Sleep
Summary: Due to his arrogant behavior, Raikou is banned from the Legendary council and is forced to stay with Darkrai on Newmoon Island for his own protection. Of course, that's when the danger starts... Raikou/Suicune, Darkrai/Cresselia, and Mewtwo/Deoxys
1. Trial

Hey peoples!

Well, it is finally here! My chaptered DarkraixCresselia and RaikouxSuicune story, EXILE!

-Does the happy dance-

Anyway, the only thing I have to say here is that this story is NOT going to be epically long, just kind of long.

**Guess I'll dedicate this first chapter to Damned Lolita and SilverUmbra!**

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 1: Trial****

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-ooo-

_Raikou, come to the council room in the Hall of Legends. We have much to discuss…_

Those very words echoed throughout Raikou's head as he slowly made his way down the said Legendary temple, his tiger-like fur matted against his skin from nervous sweat, his eyes narrowed in obvious fear. His brain wanted him to stop, forcing him to run in the opposite direction and leave the Hall of Legends so he wouldn't have to confront the God Pokemon for what he did.

For the grave mistake he had made.

Even the thunder tiger had to admit, though, that he deserved the worst of all punishments for the past accident, which happened only a few weeks ago and therefore left Raikou amazed on how quickly news spread between the Legendaries. He assumed that his comrades – the fire lion, Entei, and the water dog, Suicune – had informed Arceus about it, while he had sworn an oath to himself he wouldn't tell anybody, mainly because of his fear of what the said God Pokemon would do in response.

Despite this, he wasn't surprised that Arceus now knew about it, as it would've been sooner or later when the God Pokemon would learn of his crime. Of course Raikou didn't want to face trial, but needless to say his heart wasn't dark enough to convince him to deviously escape from punishment when he so obviously deserved it.

Besides, he didn't like being called a criminal, although he wouldn't bother to object to the title now.

The golden halls of the Hall of Legends grew bright with flashing beauty, but Raikou was quite used to this, as the said legendary temple was the main headquarters for the Pokemon that kept watch over the planet and created and debated on new rules for the natural balance between all things. It was practically the Pokemon version of the capital building, a place where all of the laws for life were decided and put into place.

And also where Legendaries were put on trial.

Raikou knew that the other Legendaries didn't like to give him the title of 'Legendary' often. He couldn't blame them; it's not like his past acts were mature and worthy enough to earn him a place among the great heroes of the world.

Hell, when he thought about it, his counterparts were usually the ones stuck doing all of the hard work.

His four-legged body continued down the mile long hallway, his head lowered in both shame and in the act of pondering. His ruby-colored eyes danced across the floor's golden tiles in emotionless interest, making eye contact with his yellow-dubbed figure that was being reflected across it. Small sensations of heat bounced off his fur as he passed each blazing torch that hung off the walls, their flames brightening up the whole hallway despite that they were quite small.

It wasn't long before he reached a vast golden doorway at the end, which bore indents of famous historical events that told the story of Earth's creation. Raikou wasn't interested in the carved tablets, though, and instead measly slid one of his large front claws over the door's hard surface, cringing slightly at the screeching sound that followed. Eventually the door opened slowly like the hidden entryway of an ancient tomb, filling the hall with a blinding light that came from the room inside. This didn't seem to affect Raikou, though, as he stood still in his place, his face expressing a combination of nervousness and boredom, while his ruby eyes peered monotonically into the new opening.

The vast room that played the role of the council quarters came into view, its golden appeal radiating with beauty. Apart from its palace-like impression, the room was shaped and designed like some sort of court room, its large pedestal that stood tall at the top of the elegant flooring fit for some sort of judge. On this very pedestal, though, playing the rule as the judge and king stood the God Pokemon himself.

Arceus.

With golden eyes peering down at his nervous, yet still, figure, Arceus watched in an unimpressed manner as Raikou slowly trailed down the stunning entrance and into the pit center of the room, which was surrounded by smaller gold pedestals fit for seating the jury. These very seats were where the other Legendaries sat, watching Raikou with piercing eyes, obviously annoyed with the thunder tiger.

Despite that the glorious room was large in occupancy, the air was filled with an awkward silence, although soft whispers sailed through the encompassing Legendaries as their eyes focused on Raikou, who was now staring yearningly at an empty stall among the jury bleachers. The designated seat was his, and he would've been sitting proudly on it if he hadn't come to the council room for trial.

"Order," Arceus softly mumbled, anger hiding between the slurs of his powerful accent, which silenced the whispers among the jury quite quickly. With narrowed golden eyes, Arceus took the attendance mentally, sighing with relief when learning that everyone was accounted for and present. Meanwhile, Raikou only kept his nervous eyes on Arceus, his stomach churning and burning with stress and uneasiness.

Returning his eyes to Raikou, Arceus then announced, keeping his place among his pedestal during, "Raikou – Legendary tiger of thunder – do you know what you have been asked to come here for?"

The answer to the question was obvious, and Arceus was aware that Raikou knew it, as the tiger's eyes shifted away from the God Pokemon's intimidating gaze out of the obvious sensation of fear. Of course Raikou knew that the situation was bad, as if it wasn't he would've been sitting on his designated seat among the Legendary jury. Besides, the question was rhetorical anyway.

"You are here to learn of your punishment for the death of innocent Pokemon," Arceus answered for Raikou, narrowed eyes glaring. Both Suicune and Entei, who sat in front of the left side of the jury seats, lowered their heads in shame since they had been in the area when the 'crime' was committed.

Of course, when thought about, it hadn't been much of an intended crime at all.

"It was an accident," Raikou muttered, his voice reaching barely over an incoherent mumble. Arceus seemed to hear it, though, as his eyes narrowed with more annoyance.

"_Accidents cannot be forgiven in this case_!" Arceus suddenly spat, his harsh voice echoing ferociously throughout the vast council room. Raikou stuttered back in fear, the other Legendaries doing the same, eyes widened. "Because of your childish foolishness Pokemon who didn't deserve to die had fallen, and it all could've been prevented if you had acted like a real Legendary!"

This time Raikou didn't fall back, but instead lowered his head, agreeing with Arceus' words.

With a sigh, as if releasing a large array of lingering anger, Arceus continued with a quieter tone. "Raikou, ever since you were created I have watched over you and your comrades, keeping progress of your daily duty of protecting the inhabitants of the Johto region. I have noticed that you sported quite an arrogant attitude, which usually led to your downfall when you would help your comrades with dangerous tasks.

"Raikou, I believe that you let your Legendary status and powers get the best of you, as you usually boast to the enemies rather than stopping them half the time. I'm sure if you hadn't sat there bragging all day that rampaging Salamence would've never had the chance to kill those Pokemon."

Raikou could feel his muscles vibrate with coldness, obvious guilt and regret for the things he had done. He was indeed arrogant, believing his title of a Legendary Pokemon made him better than everyone else. He couldn't help it, though, although he even agreed that his arrogance proved to be a distraction when it came to most missions, like the said task in which he could've easily finished successfully if he hadn't let the Salamence get its hands on the Pokemon he had been 'trying' to protect at the time.

To make a long story short: he screwed up.

"Raikou," Arceus began again, earning the attention of the said thunder-type, as well as the rest of the Legendary jury, "this has not been the only time you let your arrogance get the best of circumstance. I am aware that you know that, and I see that you have learned nothing from your past mistakes. I cannot risk innocent Pokemons' lives with your protection if you can't even follow through on it. I also believe that you shouldn't deserve your Legendary traits if you don't even know how to use them…"

Raikou's eyes suddenly widened. Arceus _wouldn't_, would he?

With another sigh, Arceus eyed Raikou compassionately. "I'm sorry, Raikou, but that was the last straw."

Immediately the jury broke out into pleads and debates, most finding Arceus' implied choice quite reasonable, while others objected to it, finding that the lack of Raikou's responsibilities would cause more damage than he made on a daily basis. One of these Pokemon was the stubborn Suicune who, despite that she didn't favor her thunder counterpart, found that his absence would be a little too much.

"Order!" Arceus spat, calming down the jury instantly.

The God Pokemon turned to Raikou, his glaring eyes digging deep into the thunder tiger's nervous ones. "Raikou, you must serve punishment for your actions; however, I cannot allow you to cause more trouble among the Pokemon world. Because of this I have decided to remove you of your Legendary powers and status, therefore leaving you with abilities no powerful than the average thunder-type."

While Raikou stumbled back in disbelief the jury broke out into debates once again, eyes glaring at each other, although they all turned to the green dragon, Rayquaza, when he suddenly stepped forward. "I believe that the punishment sounds quite fair," the emerald Legendary hissed in a venomous tone. "Raikou's responsibilities among the balance of life can easily be taken over by Zapdos" – the said yellow bird, whose mysterious red eyes matched his appearance and attitude, grunted from somewhere in the corner of the room – "but by all means I think that Raikou should not be let off so easily like he has been loads of other times."

The Legendary Pokemon that surrounded the dragon Legendary only nodded to each other, voices of agreement rising from within their numbers. Raikou's heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach, although he somewhat couldn't blame them for following through on the punishment plans.

Meanwhile, however, the Legendaries on the opposite side of the room found the choice somehow barbaric, which Latias didn't mind expressing as she took her own spot up front. "Arceus, I beg you to reconsider," the red and white dragon pleaded to the God Pokemon, not earning the attention of the said Legendary but that of Rayquaza instead, who glared at her with piercing eyes. Ignoring him, though, she continued. "It is true that Raikou has made mistakes, but we all have. The Legendary trio of Johto wouldn't possibly be able to protect the region unless all of the members are present."

Roars from the same side of the jury helped show support for the theory.

Arceus only shook his head slightly, glowing eyes peering at Rayquaza, as if he was silently agreeing with the green dragon's views on the situation. Taking this as a bad sign, Latias rose up to his level, and said, "Arceus, I believe that such a choice should at least be placed on Entei and Suicune to decide upon. They are his counterparts, after all."

The God Pokemon only slid his eyes to the opposite side so they met Latias', although he eventually shifted them towards Suicune and Entei. The other Legendaries did the same, even Raikou.

Suicune only eyed the crowd with disappointment, which was obviously aimed towards her thunder counterpart, while Entei merely sighed in shame. Raikou felt hurt by their reactions, as when one's own counterparts didn't even stick up for them then it was obvious they did something horrible. He wasn't surprised that Latias was the one who was defending him, though, as she had always been the nice one in the group, despite that the showing of the other Legendaries' support was obviously out of mere pity for his predicament.

"Well?" Arceus growled impatiently, earning an unsurprised look from Entei and Suicune in which he was aiming his attention towards. "What do you think we should do with Raikou?"

Immediately silence fell onto the inhabitants of the room, eager eyes returning to the counterparts of the guilty one. Entei glared at the jury in annoyance, although he quickly changed it to sympathy whenever he shot a look towards Raikou. Suicune, however, kept her head low, not bothering to look at anyone. They both remained silent.

"No objections? Well, that leaves me with only one choice then…" Arceus stated, his voice trailing off. He eventually snorted, apparently finding the lack of support somewhat dishonorable. Latias remained silent, figuring that debating against anything now was practically pointless. Raikou only turned to face Arceus, nervousness still radiating off of him, which showed in the small shivers his forelegs expressed every few seconds. It was then when Arceus made the final judgment, a mere sentence that even made those who were opposing against Raikou gasp in utter disbelief.

"Raikou, I hereby _exile_ you from the Legendary council!"

Suicune's eyes widened, her head snapping upward so she could stare at Arceus with hurt eyes. She didn't think he would go _that_ far, as to ban Raikou from the Legendary council permanently! Entei even gasped in shock.

Raikou, however, fell backwards completely, eyes widened. He couldn't be exiled from the council altogether…_forever_! Where would he go? What would he do? If he didn't have his Legendary powers how would anyone expect him to defend himself from the Pokemon-hungry human trainers? His whole life flashed before his eyes, as if he was seconds away from a painful death.

"But Arceus," Suicune eventually called out, earning the attention of every living thing in the room, the sudden exposure of her opinion on the matter coming unexpectedly, "how will Raikou live among the world? He is practically sentenced to death if he is stripped of the very powers that protect him from the people who are eager to use him for their horrific fantasies!"

The crowd grew in volume, thoughts on Suicune's theorization of the future for the banned Legendary being expressed through even more debates. Arceus even seemed concerned about the matter, as his glowing eyes peered at the still-stunned Raikou with a hint of lingering sympathy.

"I'll take him."

The room suddenly grew silent when a ghastly, yet powerful, tone had muttered that single sentence which filled Raikou's heart with uncertain ease. All eyes turned to the corner of the room where the ghost-like body of Darkrai stood still, his black smoke-like skin swaying in the passing breezes of unnatural air. His sea-green eyes switched emotionlessly between the dozens of colorful eyes that were set on his countenance, every one of their owners expressing pure shock at his very out-of-character decision.

"Are you sure about this, Darkrai?" Arceus muttered over the silence of the crowd, his glowing eyes filled with its own implied surprise on the matter.

Darkrai only nodded, eyes still narrowed. "Yeah…my island would provide the kid good protection, and he will practically be out of way of everybody. Besides, I could use his help on some things around my place." After finishing his sentence, the dark-type Pokemon only leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

All of the other Legendaries remained silent, surprised at Darkrai's sudden urge to volunteer and actually help with something, as the said dark-type was of the loner attitude, always keeping his thoughts to himself. Even Cresselia, his counterpart psychic-type, who was floating only a few feet away from him, allowed her eyes to soften, impressed by his sudden show of support and generosity (although doubts still filled her mind).

Suicune exchanged a look of relief with Entei, happy that Raikou wasn't going to get thrown out on the streets. She even had to agree that such a way of life as sharing Newmoon Island with Darkrai would be a nice idea since it gave the thunder tiger all the space and isolation he needed to think over his life. A sudden feeling of sadness roared from within her, though, at realizing that it would be extremely hard to visit Raikou under these conditions, as well as seeing as how exiled Legendaries weren't allowed to correspond with still active ones.

"Very well," Arceus muttered, eyes closed in the act of calming himself. "Raikou, in the midst of your exile I will allow you the option of staying with Darkrai on his island. I am sure you already know of the terms of being banned from the Legendary council, on how you won't be able to visit or make contact with any of the other Legendaries apart from Darkrai and Cresselia."

Raikou only nodded, his eyes expressing joy from Darkrai's generous offer, although his conscious still moaned in depression from him being banned in the first place. Why didn't he bother to plead himself not guilty? He knew of his sins (despite that they all had been accidents), and he even agreed to how he didn't deserve the title of 'Legendary' because of it. So, he thought, maybe if he was absent from the council the world would be a lot better place. Despite these obvious facts, though, he couldn't fight the small pinch of regret that filled his body when he pondered on it, or every time he looked at Suicune – at remembering he would never be allowed to see her or Entei ever again.

Entei was like his mentor, the father he never had. The large fire lion had always been there whenever Raikou had been depressed about something, cheering the thunder tiger up with his wise views on everything, which convinced Raikou to see his problems in a different viewpoint.

Suicune…well, Suicune was everything to him. He was aware that she didn't favor him a whole lot, but he couldn't help but be amazed by her stunning elegance anyway. It was now and only now when he regretted never telling her that he –

His thoughts were suddenly subsided when he felt himself being lifted into the air, a blinding light encompassing him. He could feel his muscles weaken, as if the energy that surged through them was being drained out at that very instant. It didn't take the thunder tiger long to comprehend that Arceus was removing him of his powers that made him a Legendary in the first place, lowering the strength of his abilities to nothing above the normal level. Eventually when Raikou felt his claws make contact with the floor, he opened his eyes, spotting the last bit of pure blinding light escape from Arceus' eyes as the God Pokemon sucked in the immense power that had been removed from his body.

"There," Arceus began as he returned his eyes towards Raikou, "you are a Legendary no more."

The God Pokemon sailed his eyes over the Legendary jury. "My decision is final. Court is adjourned."

Immediately the Legendaries rose, although they didn't move afterwards and instead watched Raikou make his way over to his counterparts. The thunder tiger gave Entei a friendly nuzzle against the shoulder, in which the fire lion only nodded in an understanding manner before stepping back to allow him to say goodbye to Suicune.

"You idiot," the water dog choked up, tears threatening to fall out of her ruby eyes as Raikou approached her. "You really messed up this time, didn't you?" Her head was low, her body shivering with every tearful gasp. Despite that she was quite happy that Raikou had a safe place to stay - that she didn't even favor her thunder counterpart that whole much - she couldn't fight the unexplained emotions that were building up inside of her.

Raikou only lowered his head in response, aware that his mistakes had cost him his place among the Legendaries. He nuzzled her in a friendly way under the chin, almost stepping back at the sudden radiation of power that bounced across his fur in response. Was that the normal feeling an average Pokemon felt every time one made contact with a Legendary? It was quite an amazing sensation. Because of this reason Raikou wanted to nuzzle her again, but shook the urge away and instead reluctantly made his way towards the exit out of the court room, which Darkrai was already standing impatiently by, waiting for him.

Shooting a look of yearning towards his used-to-be-fellow Legendaries, Raikou eyed the rows of compassionate eyes that were being given to him by those who had even opposed against him – the whole court was feeling sympathy for him. He soon sighed, however, and bowed his head low as he followed Darkrai out of the room, ready to be taken to Newmoon Island.

His new _permanent_ home.

-ooo-

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**To Be Continued

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o.O

Anyway, what do you think so far? The romance is coming, give it time.

Expect the next chap in a week or so!


	2. Home

Hey peoples!

Here's the second chapter - sorry for the long wait.

Anyway, onto the story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

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Chapter 2: Home****

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-ooo-

The dark halls of the Team Rocket HQ were everything but cheerful.

Shadows painted the heliotrope walls, its skin trailing down over the tiled floors, bleeding obsidian onto its white marble. Lacking windows where they were obviously needed the large ten-story building was shaded within the towering watch of the encompassing forest, which shrouded the structure in a collage of brown and dark green.

Within this building's pitch black rooms and deserted hallways sat a large office at the top of the structure, which, ironically, sported the only window installed into the brick walls, giving the beings inside a full view of the ebony night, spherical moon and all. And within this room were dozens of men covered in intimidating garments – mere grunts of the Rocket organization, or mainly just the minions of the boss himself, which they showed their loyalty to with no objection whatsoever as they scrambled around the dimly-lit room in the act of following the said man's orders.

The leader of the organization was also in the room, his built face contorted into a frowning mess, sending wrinkles across his pale skin. With his grimy hands stroking the elegant Persian that sat silently beside him, the man only eyed the contents outside via the window he was firmly standing by, not bothering to eye the rushing grunts behind him. It seemed the man was determined about something, his narrowed eyes producing a piercing glare.

Actually, the main reason why this person – the boss of Team Rocket – appeared mesmerized from something came from the fact that a thirty-year-old man stood behind him, arms crossed behind his back as if the said maroon-eyed scientist was the perfect gentleman. With clothes fit for some sort of inventor, this very appearance reflected across the scientist's whole body, making him seem that he didn't belong in such a disturbing place as the HQ for Team Rocket – an evil organization hell-bent on world domination through the powers of controlled Pokemon.

Despite this, though, the man, long silver-colored hair reaching down to his mid-back, slowly stated his plans to the boss of Team Rocket, his strong voice continuing with ease regardless that the boss wasn't shooting a glance at him of any sort. Somehow he knew that the boss was taking his words into mind, though.

"So, Giovanni," he began after his long speech, eyebrow quirked despite that his expression still kept its unimpressed look, "do we have a deal?"

The boss of Team Rocket stayed silent in his position, still not turning to face the man, or the countless number of Rocket grunts that were rushing around behind him, as he eyed the grounds outside with pondering eyes. Eventually, though, Giovanni turned to eye the silver-haired scientist with an emotionless frown. "Are you trying to say that you're supposed technology can help me capture the Legendaries?" His voice was casual and without feeling.

The man nodded, stern expression remaining tight.

Giovanni turned his head slightly so that he eyed the man out of the corner of his eye. "If this is true, and it really can help me, then what would you want in return for it, Mr. Horrifiance?"

The man shifted weight between his shoulders, although his hands still remained locked together behind his back. "The only thing I want is a fair share of the profits."

Giovanni smirked, a devious tone resting among his facial features. "If your said technologies can give me the Legendaries," he then stated, "and the Legendaries can give Team Rocket control of the planet, then I can assure you that the rewards in your favor will be quite worth it."

The scientist nodded, eyes furrowed. "Then, is it a deal?" As if on cue he silently held out his gloved hand, mentally requesting a handshake to seal the unprocessed trade.

Giovanni switched the glance of his dark eyes between the man and his request, obviously pondering on the possible benefits that would come from the man's contribution. Then again, the leader of Team Rocket was still quite antsy on sharing anything gained from the fulfillment of their dream, although, without the man's help, the dream would probably take a lot longer to become reality. Not to mention the man's possible trickery was accounted for as well, despite that Giovanni had only met him and therefore was mentally scolding himself for being too judgmental on the spot.

Eventually, in the end, it was a risk he was willing to take.

However, just to be safe he didn't shake hands with the man, but instead muttered, "I'm not making any deals until you can prove your worth among this mission."

The man narrowed his eyes again, obviously sensing that Giovanni wasn't ready to give him his trust. The man eventually nodded, though, agreeing that a small demonstration of his 'weapons' would help add more confidence to the situation.

With a flick of his hand, Giovanni motioned the man to leave the room and prepare the demo of his technologies, mumbling a goodbye in the wake. But right before 'Mr. Horrifiance' exited through the door he turned back around and muttered one last sentence almost arrogantly.

"Please, sir, call me Terotrey."

-ooo-

Raikou gasped once he had been teleported to the tree-covered isle of Newmoon Island – the home of Darkrai. With the fact that the full moon was high in the sky, seeming to be glued among the star-covered obsidian canvas of the night, the island was dubbed with an eerie glow of mist-like pearl. The trees swayed in the soft breezes of the calm ocean, the horizon seeming to serve as the fine line between land and sky; the thin gateway between the conquered and the unconquerable.

Meanwhile the thunder tiger only turned to look at Darkrai, as if he was too afraid to move and was asking the dark-type Pokemon on what he should do. Darkrai, who was floating silently behind him, his arms, which were scrawny like the dead branches of a dying tree, were folded against his chest, while a look of pure boredom covered his facial features. It seemed the dark-type Legendary was also contemplating on what to do next.

"Well," Darkrai eventually stated, sea-green eyes narrowed, "make yourself at home, I guess."

Raikou only turned his head to eye the dark encompassing trees and the lush, cold grass that his paws practically sank into, obviously pondering on how he would make such a gloomy, isolated place his new home for the rest of his life. In those few moments the thunder tiger found himself wondering how Darkrai could've possibly taken a way of life such as living among the said depressing foregrounds with ease.

Then again, this was Darkrai he was referring to.

"Where do I sleep?" Raikou turned his curious eyes over to Darkrai, whose sea-green orbs were closed as if he was in the act of pondering on something. Of course the thunder tiger could sleep just anywhere, but for some reason he speculated that Darkrai had a specific place for resting time.

Eventually the dark-type opened his eyes and shifted them towards a small mountain whose tip peaked over the sentinel-sized trees, although it was barely taller than them. Raikou, curious more than before, followed his gaze over to the small mountain, mouth contorting into a bewildered frown.

"That's where I go to rest…" Darkrai stated matter-of-factly, eyebrow quirked, although his ghastly voice lacked a confused tone. "There's a cave over there, and I'm sure it will fit both of us."

Raikou only nodded, allowing his eyes to wander over his surroundings since one problem had just been solved. His ruby orbs soon locked onto a large orange object that was hanging from the top of one of the palm trees, dangling slightly in the following breezes. As if on cue the thunder tiger's stomach began to moan, growling with hunger and making Raikou want to bellow over in cramping pain.

"You hungry?"

Raikou turned to the sound of Darkrai's distant tone, only to find out that he had floated over to one of the trees and picked off one of the exposed orange objects, which he now held delicately in his hand. All Raikou did, though, was stare bewilderedly at it.

"It's food," Darkrai grumbled, his accent deepening with annoyance, obviously finding Raikou's sudden uneasiness of eating the exposed food quite pointless. "It's fruit; it's good for you. You're gonna be living off this stuff for as long as you stay here, so you might as well get used to it."

Raikou eventually nodded once more before taking the orange fruit from Darkrai's hand and munching on it silently, chewing slowly as he allowed his taste buds to process the juicy flavor. In fact the thunder tiger soon smiled with glee, quickly finishing up the meal and licking his lips to savor the leftover fruit juice.

"That's pretty good," Raikou stated as he turned to eye Darkrai. "So what do you do around here for fun, anyway?"

Darkrai eyed him with narrowed eyes. "Fun?"

Raikou nodded, apparently finding the fact that Darkrai found the term unfamiliar not surprising. "I mean, I'm gonna live here for quite a while, and I'll get bored out of my mind if I have nothing to do…"

Darkrai turned his head the other way, narrowed eyes filled with curiosity. How would he know of any ways that would amuse the childish thunder tiger? His island wasn't a playground, nor was it a source for 'fun' of any kind. In fact the only thing Darkrai could think of that would equal to the terms of doing something active was the work he had placed in the back of his head for Raikou. Seeing as how he was now going to be sharing his island with the thunder tiger, Raikou was going to have to learn to pull his own weight for the matter.

Mentally coming to a conclusion, Darkrai crossed his arms once more. "Well, you got some work to do around here, kid."

Raikou pulled back, his face seeming to reflect that of pure appall. "What do you mean…'work'?"

"As in to do something that will serve as your…as your…" Darkrai's eyes turned downward as he searched his mind for the right word. "_Rent_. Yes, that's it; your rent for living on my island. I don't serve freeloaders, so if you're going to live here you're going to need to repay me for it."

Raikou frowned, eyes narrowing at the smirk that was beginning to form across Darkrai's lips. "What type of work would this isolated place need, anyway?" he then asked in a smug tone, obviously not too impressed with the idea.

Darkrai cocked his head, although his serious look showed that he wasn't pondering for a plausible answer to Raikou's question, but instead allowing his eyes to glare somewhat-angrily at a Wingull that was flying overhead, its silhouetted figure camouflaging amongst the night sky. He returned his eyes to Raikou, who hadn't take his piercing glare off of him the whole time. "Why, you see that Wingull up there?" He pointed his finger upwards, both his and Raikou's eyes following. "That's only one of the many Pokemon that seem to want to make my island their personal home. I don't support freeloading of any kind, and that's why I want you to keep those trespassing pests off my land."

Raikou only quirked his eyebrow, eyes still glued to the flying Wingull. "Why? They're not causing any trouble…"

Darkrai snorted. "They will soon. Don't you see? If one comes, then his buddies are going to start coming and before you know it this place is going to turn into a tourist attraction. It's bad enough that humans come here every now and then – I don't need space-taking Pokemon, either. You and I are the only ones that are allowed to occupy my island. Understand?"

Raikou remained silent, obviously pondering on Darkrai's words and somehow finding them random and barbaric, although he wasn't surprised that Darkrai wouldn't want to share his home. He wouldn't be much of a loner if passing Pokemon used his island as their new hotel.

"If you insist…" Raikou eventually agreed with a sigh, his eyes finally returning to Darkrai. He wasn't too happy of having to perform such a task as booting off Pokemon from their resting places, but nonetheless the thunder tiger was just happy that it wasn't anything worse than that (he had been expecting Darkrai to ask him in assisting him with his nightly nightmare granting among the human and Pokemon populations).

"Good," Darkrai replied, a hint of happiness gracing his usually dark voice. "Now, it is up to you to make rounds around the island every now and then, and if you see any Pokemon trying to make this place their rest stop for the night, or worse: their new home, shoo them off before they even think about it."

Raikou slowly nodded.

"Ah," a strong feminine voice then muttered from the shadows of the encompassing trees, "I see you are already making Raikou feel right at home." The tone was sarcastic, yet it almost sounded pitiful towards something.

Darkrai seemed to frown instantly, his facial features dragging downward with annoyance. It was obvious he had recognized the owner of the voice. "Hello, Cresselia," he then muttered, repugnance leaking from his tone.

As if on cue the said metallic swan Pokemon emerged from the bushes, her body floating a few inches off the ground as she slid over to Raikou, her eyes turning gentle. They both gave each other a friendly nuzzle before Cresselia turned to eye Darkrai, her lavender orbs now narrowed with what seemed like an unimpressed expression. "Darkrai, this young Pokemon just got here and you're already putting the poor child to work."

Raikou could only switch bewildered glances between Cresselia and Darkrai, somewhat feeling like an infant of two parents who were in the midst of a misunderstanding between one another.

Darkrai snorted again, arms crossed. "Hey, if the kid is bunking with me he needs to pull his own weight around here. If he can do that then I will gladly declare that my house is his house."

Cresselia shook her head in disappointment, eyes rolling up to heaven simultaneously.

"Besides," Darkrai added, "the kid got booted off the Legendary council because of his immature behavior. He needs to learn about responsibility and fulfilling his required routines."

"And keeping your island clean of poor Pokemon who are just trying to look for a place to stay for the night is contributing to this…how?"

Darkrai growled behind gritted teeth. "_Responsibility training_!" he then moaned. "Gees, did you not here me before, _woman_?"

Cresselia sighed, eyeing Raikou to the side of her with hopelessness. The thunder tiger chuckled, finding humor in the predicted bickering between the dreaming Legendaries. Cresselia was tempted to join his giggles; that is, if the risk of angering Darkrai even more wasn't at stake. Instead the psychic-type silently floated over to her counterpart, staring at him straight in the eye in a serious manner, which convinced Darkrai to back off slightly from intimidation.

"Listen here, my dear counterpart," Cresselia then cooed softly, although it was obvious that she was about to go off on him, "you better take good care of that boy _or so help me Arceus I will beat you on the head so hard that your white hair will be coming out of your butt_!"

All Darkrai could do was stare horrifically at his counterpart, his hand twitching to grab his albino head end just to assure himself of its safety.

Cresselia shot a gentle look towards Raikou, and he swore he saw her wink deviously at him, as if secretly signaling that she was following through on a mischevious plan. Furrowing her brows one more she returned her narrowed eyes to Darkrai. "Now you get that boy over to that cave and let him get some rest," she ordered harshly. "I will not allow you to force that boy to work all night for your own selfish deeds; he needs sleep."

Darkrai remained silent, eyes somewhat widened from the unexpected outburst of his usually calm counterpart.

Cresselia turned the opposite way, her serious frown now turning into a face ready to break out into laughter, which Raikou only caught and therefore was somewhat chuckling himself. She then shot a warm smile to the thunder tiger (in which he returned happily) before she took off into the sky, obviously heading towards her own island. As she flew out of sight Raikou mentally thanked her for her good acting skills, otherwise Darkrai probably would've had him working until dawn.

"_That_ woman," he suddenly heard Darkrai hiss, his intimidated state dissipating quite quickly, "always scolding me for everything. Can't scratch my own damn ass without her lecturing me on it."

All Raikou could do was return to giggling. He ceased it almost instantly, though, when Darkrai suddenly turned to him.

"Well," the dark-type then began, "might as well follow through on her orders. That's mean it's time for bed, kid, you got a big day tomorrow."

And with that Darkrai slowly took off into the forest, obviously heading towards the mountain, although he didn't seem intent to wait on Raikou, who now began to follow him through the mesh of trees. The thunder tiger could hear the dark-type mumble more incoherent insults towards his counterpart along the way, and Raikou could only mentally agree to himself on one thing in the end.

Darkrai and Cresselia would _definitely_ make a good couple.

-ooo-

"But Arceus!"

The God Pokemon paid no attention to Suicune during her entire time of pleading for him to return Raikou to the council. Because of her need to see him on her team again she had stayed behind in the Hall of Legends when all of the other Legendaries had left to continue with their duties among planet Earth, excluding Entei, who was waiting patiently by the door into the council room. With his own compassionate eyes, the old, yet wise, Pokemon watched his water counterpart's attempt to persuade Arceus to give Raikou back his place among the Legendaries, and although the fire lion wasn't proud of the thunder tiger's past acts, he too didn't like the idea of never seeing the young Pokemon again.

With the fact that the council room was free of most of the Legendaries, the halls were quiet and Suicune's hurt voice echoed throughout its boundaries with no possible barricades; instead for Arceus' grunts, in which he would express every now and then at the idea of letting Raikou back on the team after the vast amounts of trouble the thunder tiger had caused over time.

"I'm sorry, Suicune," Arceus softly mumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I cannot allow him to return to us if he doesn't deserve his place among the council. He must serve punishment, even if it's permanent."

Suicune lowered her head, losing the last bit of confidence she had left. Arceus seemed pained by walking away from her and ignoring her pleas for help, but he simply couldn't allow her requests to be carried out, seeing as how they would go against the rules of the Legendary council. Even if he wanted to bring Raikou back, the Legendary jury would have to agree on it as well.

And he knew too well that that would never happen.

"What if Raikou was able to prove his loyalty to the council?" Suicune suddenly muttered, her voice gasp-like, as if she had just came up with the – quite cunning – idea. Her ruby eyes rose to Arceus, who had his back turned to her since he had been in the midst of walking away. However, he seemed to stop in his tracks when she emitted her new suggestion, his head lowering with obvious thoughts on the proposed solution.

A Legendary proving his worth amongst the council? Would Raikou pulling of a heroic act give Arceus the excuse to grant him his occupation as a Legendary again? But, more importantly, if Raikou was able to prove that he deserved his Legendary powers, then would it convince the jury to give him another chance? To tell you the truth Arceus had never thought about such an idea.

Meanwhile, behind Arceus, Suicune stood waiting, her muscles tense and expression nervous. It was almost as if her life depended on the God Pokemon's decision.

"I don't know," was all Arceus could mutter (alongside an incoherent "maybe"), his head turning so he could glance at Suicune out of the corner of his eye. With nothing else to say he silently walked off, leaving the room and therefore leaving the breathless Suicune and confused Entei behind.

All of sudden, without bothering to inform Entei of her plan, Suicune rushed out the door, course set on Newmoon Island. Despite the ban's rules of her not being allowed to see her thunder counterpart, she had to tell him of her new plan. She had to inform him that he still had the chance of being a Legendary.

She had to tell him that his life as a mortal was not permanent…

…yet.

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued****

* * *

**

Hmm, that was interesting.


	3. Premiere

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Premiere**

* * *

-ooo-

"Zangoose!"

A large red and white-furred being tore through the tense air of the stadium-sized gym, its narrowed eyes focused on its surroundings. Behind it stood Terotrey and Giovanni, while random Rocket grunts patrolled the area for safety measures and to make sure everything was set for the demo reel of Terotrey's technological advancements. The dark eyes of Giovanni stared bewilderedly (and somewhat annoyingly) towards the Zangoose that stood battle-ready in front of Terotrey, wondering all the same why the silver-haired scientist had let out such a wimpy creature in a moment fit for something much more epic.

Of course, with the way the Zangoose's body was half cybernetic was probably the reason why Terotrey now grinned deviously, his hands wrapped around a small controller-looking device. The Zangoose's metallic skin flashed bright with robotic switches and buttons, wires sprouting out from socket holes, connecting to others among the artificial appendages, and sometimes even digging harshly into real flesh, which explained the dried blood that could be seen matted with its damped fur. A robotic red eye zoomed in from the Zangoose's face, which was much larger than its real one, although it still carried the deadly glare the natural one had.

With rugged bolts and screws, the skin had been built into the Pokemon's body, making it appear to be the chimerical outcome of artificial intelligence and natural life. With the way its metallic skin flashed in the overhead stage lights, highlighting the horrific modifications that had been installed forcefully into the beast's flesh, Giovanni, despite that he seemed he would be interested in such a monstrosity, appeared both disgusted and somewhat intimidated by it.

Terotrey, however, only kept his devious smile glued to his lips, his maroon-colored eyes shooting a reassuring glare towards the leader of Team Rocket.

"What is the purpose of this?" Giovanni managed to question in the midst of his freaked thoughts, watching the cybernetic Pokemon turn its head rapidly, shooting its snarling frown in every direction as if it was trying to scare the very arena it was in.

Terotrey chuckled. "Why, Giovanni, this is your key to capturing the Legendaries."

The leader of Team Rocket's eyebrow quirked, his bewildered face contorting into a deadpanned one. It was obvious he didn't understand, nor did he really want to. Instead of showing repugnance or fear, though, he simply muttered, "And this inferior creature is filling that occupation…how?" He was going to ask what was up with the cybernetic features, but decided against it due to the obviousness of the upcoming answer.

"Giovanni," the silver-haired scientist began, his eyes closed thoughtfully as if he was in the act of starting an arrogant lecture, "can you please tell me you how your current Pokemon scanners and trackers work?"

Giovanni shot a bewildered look at him, mainly from the irrelevant question in which the answer was known by mostly everybody, although he eventually replied, "We place a tracker on the Pokemon, and then our computers track it and tell us where the target is located."

Terotrey nodded, a smirk now plastered to his lips. "And are there any downfalls to such a task?"

"Well, yes," the leader of Team Rocket muttered, "if the target hides in a location where so much as a dozen other Pokemon hide, our scanners sometimes get confused and either leads us to the wrong target, or shuts down from short circuiting. Not to mention there's the task of _getting_ the tracker onto the target..."

"And even when you manage to find the target your capturing tactics don't always work," Terotrey finished for the old boss, almost matter-of-factly.

All Giovanni did was nod slightly. "We haven't been able to conduct anything that could possibly approve these flaws…yet."

The scientist cleared his throat, his cybernetic Zangoose snarling at the surrounding objects, apparently ignoring the conversation that was taking place behind it. "What if I were to tell you that such problems are now solved?"

Giovanni grunted slightly. "What are you getting at, Terotrey?"

Now somewhat laughing, Terotrey began to pace in a long line, all in the while of explaining his plan in the form of a villain's infamous monologue. "Giovanni, I have studied the Legendaries for as long as I have been in the occupation of scientific research, and I learned one thing not too long ago that contributed heavily to my experiments."

"And that is…?"

"Every Legendary out there holds a special substance inside of them – a sort of essence, you can say. These essences are what make the Legendaries one of a kind, and allows their powers to play a big part on the rules of natural order.

"You see, every time one wants to track a Legendary, they have to put a tracker on it, and the downfalls that you mentioned for such a task are one of the main reasons why the Legendaries aren't in the hands of top organizations who want them. They're just too damn slippery, being able to hide in the midst of average Pokemon, or just escape before one can find them due to the inability of their capturing devices or the weakness of their hunting Pokemon."

"Your point?"

Terotrey turned to jab a finger towards his snarling, cybernetic Zangoose. "Have you stopped to wonder what those artificial appendages do?"

Giovanni's face remained deadpanned.

"I guess you can say those metallic appendages are kind of like large trackers," Terotrey started. "Only, instead of tracking the Legendary Pokemon by the usual terms, which can easily be both misleading and annoying, it tracks them by their inner essence."

Now Giovanni started to smile, his mind comprehending what Terotrey was beginning to say.

With a short chuckle, Terotrey continued. "Since only the Legendaries contain this very essence, they won't be able to hide…anywhere. These tracking Pokemon will even be able to find them if they take refuge in a location filled with thousands of normal Pokemon. You see?"

"I must say," Giovanni muttered deviously, "I am quite impressed." His face suddenly darkened somewhat. "However, what about the issue of poor capturing devices? Yes, we can now track them perfectly, but it's utterly pointless if none of our machines or Pokemon are able to catch creatures of such destructible power."

Terotrey chuckled again. "That's no longer a problem, either, Giovanni." His eyes shifted to the far side of the Team Rocket gym, where a lone grunt was fumbling with the lock of a large wooden crate.

"My dear man!" Terotrey called out, his voice echoing throughout the mile long boundaries of the room. The Rocket grunt poked his head up in interest, apparently hearing the scientist's voice despite the distance between them. "You, yes you!" Terotrey then confirmed when the grunt attempted to point at himself. "Would you be a good man and open that crate for me?"

The Rocket grunt quirked his eyebrow, but eventually shrugged as he entered the lock's code and unlatched it from the crate's handle, opening the colossal box afterwards and nearly falling back when a gray being rushed out of the darkness concealed inside. Terotrey only smirked as the creature stopped in the middle of the room, revealing itself to be a bad robotic imitation of what looked like Entei, which black smoke blew from the large cracks between its steel plates, giving the artificial beast the impression of going through an upcoming complete breakdown.

Meanwhile, Giovanni only stared bewilderedly at the cheap machine, watching the manmade beast's glowing red eyes stare emotionlessly into space.

"That's just a quick thing I built to help demonstrate my powers," Terotrey explained to Giovanni's confused state. "Inside of it I put a substance that carries similar power waves of a Legendary's inner essence."

As if on cue the surrounding Rocket grunts released their Pokemon from their Pokeballs, watching the large array of – mostly – first-stage Pokemon make their way over to the machine as if the act had been practiced. With their blocking bodies, the robotic Entei had disappeared completely within the collage of furry, smooth, and scaly skins.

"Now, let's pretend for a moment," Terotrey muttered to Giovanni, "that the real Entei is in our sight, but we have lost him within a location that houses many types of Pokemon."

The silver-haired scientist's eyes shifted to the Pokemon crowd, his finger now carefully placing itself on top of a button among his handheld remote. "Now watch."

With a push of the button, the Zangoose snarled its name before its robotic appendages took over, releasing black smoke from the exposed holes on its back before moving forward in mind-boggling light-speed, shooting like a bullet into the midst of the Pokemon crowd, disappearing behind them as if it was nothing but a ghost. Giovanni looked awed from the displayed stealth and speed, and the large array of strength that had radiated from the robotic Zangoose in the wake of it. Meanwhile, however, Terotrey only chuckled to himself, determined eyes set on the Pokemon crowd.

All of a sudden, a loud explosion was heard from the massive group, in which the Pokemon ran off into random directions, eventually revealing a smoking, burning heap of metal that Giovanni assumed used to be the robotic Entei in the middle. However, he gasped when he noticed the cybernetic Zangoose standing firmly by it, its metallic claw dug deeply into a torn-off slab of the Entei's steel plate, almost as it was a mere piece of paper.

It…_worked_. It really worked! And it only took a few seconds! Such a thing definitely amazed the leader of Team Rocket.

As the Rocket grunts returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, Terotrey turned towards Giovanni, his devious grin returning. "What do you think?"

For a minute Giovanni appeared breathless, although his stern voice eventually replied, "It can track them perfectly, and it has super abilities of strength, speed, and stealth that outmatches those of our strongest Pokemon. _Impressive_."

Terotrey chuckled again. "Giovanni, can you imagine having an army of these under your control? If you did, then one thing would definitely be for certain."

"And that is?" Giovanni replied, although his own smirk signified that he already knew the answer.

"This time, the Legendaries _will be ours_."

-ooo-

"Kid…hey kid..."

Raikou groaned, mumbling incoherent words as he turned over, his back now facing Darkrai, who was trying to wake the snoozing thunder tiger up. The sun had risen, bathing Newmoon Island with light, and also sending the colors of dawn sprawling amongst the Earth's atmosphere. Of course, despite its beauty, such a time meant hell for Raikou.

"It's time to get to work, kid!" Darkrai spat, arms crossed. He was very tempted to poke the exiled Legendary in the side, although he didn't in the fear of getting rolled onto.

Raikou ignored Darkrai, too lost in his dreams to give his situation much thought, or realize that the dark-type Legendary had the power over nightmares. To his luck, though, Darkrai agreed that such an action wasn't worth it, and instead continued his invariable tries to wake the snoring Pokemon with ferocious words. When nothing seemed to work, however, he smiled deviously when a cunning alternative piled itself into his brain.

"Hey look!" he screamed out into the air for no plausible reason, apart from his new plan. "_It's Suicune_!"

Immeditaley Raikou sprung onto his feet, his head snapping around, his excited eyes searching for his female counterpart. When he realized that no one of such an identity was there, he only shot an annoyed glare towards Darkrai, realizing that it had been a trick when he caught sight of the dark-type Legendary's childish snickering.

"Damn, kid," Darkrai managed to choke out between chuckles. "You're really gullible when it comes to Suicune." His facial expression contorted into that of a bemused one. "Gee, I wonder why…" His tone carried sarcasm – enough sarcasm for Raikou to blush a deep red at his comment.

In the act of trying to forget the incident Raikou wandered his eyes over the boundaries of Darkrai's cave, which was quite homey, despite that little sunlight made it through the blocking stalactites and therefore shadows enshrouded the wailing cavern. The cave went on deeper behind him, but the thunder tiger paid no heed to it, seeing as how Darkrai always mumbled that there was nothing of importance back there.

"You ready to work, kid?" Darkrai suddenly asked, floating over to his island-mate's (his supposed equivalent to a 'roommate' in this situation) face so that his sea-green eyes could stare directly at Raikou's red line-covered ones. Accompanying this, the thunder tiger looked like he was ready to fall over and back into sleep again, despite that Darkrai wouldn't allow such a thing.

"Yeah…yeah…" Raikou yawned out, brushing clinging dirt from his fur before he followed Darkrai into the open. As soon as the plush feeling of wet grass met his paws, the sun's light met his eyes, causing him to squint as his ruby orbs tried to accustom themselves to the bright lights that the cave had lacked.

Darkrai turned to his island-mate. "Alright, kid, if you're hungry you know where to find food. You can have a quick breakfast, but after that I expect to be seeing you doing the favor I asked."

Raikou snorted, mumbling to himself simultaneously, "Some favor…"

Darkrai shot his narrowed eyes towards the thunder tiger. "What was that?"

"Uh, nothing!" Raikou swiftly replied as he straightened himself out to remove suspicion. He grinned nervously.

All Darkrai did was roll his eyes.

-ooo-

After a fast meal of fresh fruit Raikou slowly made his way over to the beaches, enjoying the sensation of sand between his paws, while his ears relaxed to the sounds of the calm, overlapping waves. Darkrai had floated off to do something, leaving Raikou on the island by himself. Of course, he was still stuck doing his job, although he had been walking on the outskirts of the tropical island for quite some time and hadn't seen even a Wingull grazing amongst the palm trees. It was then when he began to wonder if the Pokemon had overheard Darkrai's task last night and had decided to take off before they got into trouble…

When the sudden snap of a breaking twig emitted from the bushes to the side of Raikou, the thunder tiger stepped back from the startling noise, his eyes peering keenly onto the location. He was somewhat afraid of spotting a resting Pokemon from somewhere in the shrubs, seeing as how he didn't want to appear mean to anyone, and therefore finding the idea of forcing Pokemon off the island bad for his reputation when it came to generosity.

Of course, Darkrai would snap _him_ in half if he didn't do it, and he would rather be badly spoken about then be a homeless being with two removable parts.

Sighing, Raikou slowly began to sneak his way over to the bush, his head rising to see if he could spot the figure from behind it. When his curious eyes fell upon a small Squirtle, they grew bright with softness.

"Hey, little guy," Raikou cooed happily, forgetting his job for those few seconds and instead lowering his head to come face-to-face with the baby blue turtle, who now stared at him with big eyes, its body shivering from slight fright. At the sight of this Raikou shook his head, mumbling simultaneously, "I'm not going to hurt you, little guy." His expression turned bewildered. "Where's your mother?"

Instead of a justified answer, the baby Squirtle broke out into tears, its wailing filling the area and causing Raikou to stumble back in shock, eyes widened. He wasn't quite expecting that reaction, although he was somewhat afraid of attracting attention in the midst of it. Because of this the thunder tiger immediately ran up to the Squirtle, hesitantly gesturing for it to calm down. Due to his bad luck, though, the attempts failed, and thus the Squirtle cried on.

"Oh gees!" Raikou squeaked, now starting to panic as he began to run around in circles, trying to come up with a way to stop the baby from crying.

He tried making funny faces, but instead the Squirtle stopped to stare at him with a puzzled expression before breaking out into tears again.

He tried to feed it fruit, but it paid no heed to it and continued wailing uncontrollably, even slapping the edible items from his paws at times, which some tended to ricochet off the encompassing trees and smack Raikou dead in the face.

He tried to sing it to sleep, but since his voice was the definition of a _Hoenn Idol_-obsessed zombie, the attempts were useless.

Eventually he collapsed onto the ground, his face expressing exhaustion, while the baby Squirtle continued to wail from the side of him. Raikou swore that he wouldn't be surprised if the crying could be heard all the way from Orre, seeing as how his ears were already breaking out into a mesh of ringing vibrations.

"_Excuse me_!" a female voice then spat, and Raikou only weakly shifted his eyes upwards so he could eye the Blastoise that was now towering over him, the look of an overprotective mother sprawled across her rough, blue face, while her stubby arms were attempting to place themselves on her hip areas. "That is my son!" she then continued, voice snarling, yet it sounded somewhat elegant as if she was one of those classy, rich mothers. "And you're making him cry!"

Raikou tried to deny the false theory, but seeing as how his muscles had been worn out entirely from trying to cease the baby's crying, the thunder tiger held his tongue and only watched the Blastoise stomp her way over to her child. She then started to coo it into sleep, in which its tears stopped falling and the horrible, echoing wail slowly dissipated into nothingness.

"Legendary or not," she began again, nose stuck up high in the air, apparently finding the identity and presence of Raikou nothing worth gasping over, "you 'world protectors' know nothing about taking care of infants."

"I'm not a Legendary anymore," he muttered, cutting her off when she was about to start up again.

Instead, she huffed, puffing her armored chest out. "Oh? You must've done something really stupid to have that thrust upon ya. Well, I really don't want to hear your depressing life story, though, so I'll be going."

And with that, the Blastoise, the sleeping baby Squirtle cradled in her left arm, slowly made her way over to the ocean and disappeared behind the waves. Raikou only stared at the rushes of overlapping water, deep in thought.

"Yeah, _really_ stupid," he then mumbled, slowly getting up and continuing his depressing stroll along the beach, seeing as how he needed to finish his search for more trespassing Pokemon.

-ooo-

Darkrai didn't return to the island until sunset, which the sky metamorphosed itself into a deep blue, the smeared clouds turning pink as they climbed towards the orange horizon. The dark-type Legendary did a quick surveillance around the grounds, searching for trespassers, mainly to see if Raikou had been doing his job. To his surprise and relief, not a Pokemon was in sight, and therefore Darkrai made his way over to the cave, where he found Raikou sulking in a dark corner, playing finger hockey with a small pebble between his claws.

"You did good, kid," Darkrai commented, although it sounded forced as if the nightmare Legendary hadn't expected himself to say such a thing. When he didn't see his island-mate's depressed expression change an inch, nor heard him utter a work to break his awkward silence, the dark-type Legendary floated over to him, his sea-green eyes displaying slight concern. "You alright, kid?"

Raikou only sighed and nodded, convincing Darkrai to float over to the entrance of the cave, although he shot compassionate looks over to the thunder tiger every now and then. To tell you the truth, Raikou wasn't okay. In fact, the very incidents that had led up to his exile from the Legendary council had been rushing through his mind ever since the mother Blastoise had implied his past foolishness before she left.

"Hey look!" Darkrai suddenly shouted out. "It's Suicune!"

Raikou only snorted, remembering that Darkrai had tried the same tactic earlier, and assumed he was using it again to cheer him up from his depressed state. Because of this realization, Raikou only mumbled monotonically, "Nice try, Darkrai. I'm not falling for that again."

"No, you idiot!" Darkrai spat, causing Raikou to glare at him. "It really _is _Suicune!"

The thunder tiger noticed the lack of sarcasm or snickering in the dark-type's words, therefore finding them believable and thus rushing towards the entrance to the cave. There, he gasped when his ruby eyes fell onto the familiar concerned face of his water dog counterpart.

"_Sui-Suicune_?"

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

Oh snap.

The next chapter should be up either late this week or sometime next week.


	4. Denial

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chapter! Sorry for the wait.

This chapter contains a lot of RaikouxSuicune fluffiness that will make you gag...

:D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Denial

* * *

**

-ooo-

"What a pleasant…surprise?"

That was all Darkrai managed to mutter slowly between the widened gaze lock that Raikou and Suicune were silently shooting at each other. None of the two bothered to look at him, or respond to his statement on the awkward situation that had left them both utterly speechless. Of course, Suicune looked calmer than Raikou, seeing as how she was expecting such a reaction from him, while he hadn't even been expecting her visit.

As if breaking out of his trance, Raikou soon found himself stuttering, "Suicune? W-what are you doing h-here? If Arceus finds out…he'll punish you too! We're not supposed to make conta-"

"I know. _I know_!" Suicune replied, eyes reflecting hurt, voice carrying a soft tone that was abnormal for her. "I had to see you again…though."

The thunder tiger swore he could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks, which he therefore turned his head away, embarrassed. He wasn't quite sure what she literally meant by her answer, although he highly doubted it was for the reason he envied it to be.

Meanwhile, Darkrai huffed, finding the implications of affection between the exile and Johto Legendary childish and irrelevant to the MAIN situation that Suicune had obviously visited for. She, of all people, he knew, would not travel as much as into forbidden land just to see the lit-up ruby eyes of her mortal thunder counterpart, and although he respected her for having the guts to come there in the first place, he mentally scolded her for risking her cover in the midst of it.

Raikou shot a look of guidance towards Darkrai, which he only returned with narrowed eyes. The nightmare Legendary could tell that the exile was silently asking for ideas on what to do, or just a simple phrase to say that would break the awkward silence that had begun to linger around them. Of course, when it came to comments about the emotion of love, Darkrai was practically worthless, as the dark-type knew nothing of the rules towards the very feeling that supposedly made its victims fall head-over-heels for the corresponding recipient.

To make a long story short: he didn't know jack-squat about love.

Then again, despite that Raikou was certain this unexpected meeting was for the sake of love, Darkrai was aware that Suicune had come for something else, something much more serious than the absurd thoughts that ran through the thunder tiger's mind.

"I need to talk to you."

The sudden question drove Darkrai away from his pondering state and convinced him to bring his eyes over to Suicune, who now displayed a look of determination across her features. Raikou stared at her as well, although curiousness bounced from the scarlet pools that surrounded his eyes, which also managed to hint his excitement simultaneously.

With his mouth slightly agape in the form of a happy grin, Raikou slowly moved closer to Suicune, and Darkrai rolled his eyes at the exile's sad attempts to contribute to the mood. It was quite obvious that the thunder tiger was now expecting Suicune's reason to visit to be that of a lover's confession.

Suicune took a deep breath, her paws gluing themselves firmly into the plush grass as if she was about to admit something sacred. It was then and only then when she turned to look at him with determined, yet somewhat happy eyes. "Raikou -"

Raikou smiled wider, gaining closer to his counterpart inch by inch.

" – I know how you can get back your Legendary status."

As if those words were a fast-working venom, Raikou's face fell, displaying instant shock beyond what Darkrai was showing through his own surprise on the matter. The thunder tiger's eyes paled, his hopes dissipating and instead replacing with what felt like anger, and the exile showed this by backing away quickly, his brows furrowing which gave his eyes an intimidating look in response.

"Not interested," was all he simply replied, voice lacking the usual jumpiness that it held, his happiness that had erupted from the bowels of his heart upon Suicune's arrival now contorting into hatred. Suicune widened her eyes, shocked by his answer, while Darkrai only quirked an eyebrow, despite that hints of concern radiated from him as well.

Slowly stepping closer as if her counterpart was a ticking time bomb, Suicune managed to mumble out in a compassionate tone, "Why…?"

All Raikou did was revert his gaze from hers, obviously refusing to face her for reasons that not even Darkrai was aware of, and the thunder tiger managed to convince them to display shock once more when he stomped off into the bushes, head lowered with annoyance. His water dog counterpart and island-mate only watched him sulk off into the unknown regions of the island's forest, and after exchanging bewildered glances with Darkrai, Suicune slowly traced his steps into the shrubs.

-ooo-

It wasn't long before she emerged into a clearing, which was surrounded by the forest trees, but yet had a gap between them wide enough to let the views of the dying day be seeable. With a glisten of worry sprawled across her face her eyes shot around the grassy grounds, trying to spot Raikou from the midst of the darkening environment. She sighed in relief when she spotted the said exile lying by a shrub on the opposite side of the field, his paws covering his face as if he was ashamed of something and wanted to be invisible to the world around him. Somewhat nervous, yet interested to learn of the reason behind his strange reaction to her prior suggestion, she slowly approached him.

"Raikou?" she cooed, concerned for his state and determined to relieve him of it. She placed another paw onto the grass, bringing her canine body closer to him by another inch, the sound of squished weeds erupting from the damp ground because of it.

The thunder tiger remained silent, although his muffled voice from under his barricading paws soon replied, "Those Pokemon…they _died_…because of me." Such sadness had ridden his tone that Suicune felt even more concerned than before. Of course, she was aware that he was referring to the deaths of the Pokemon that had caused him to be exiled from the Legendary council, and she wasn't all that surprised that such a topic would affect him the most now.

But, then again, why was he displaying hatred towards her earlier suggestion? Didn't he want to go back to the council?

"Like you said," she found herself replying softly, eyes glossy with compassion, "it was an accident."

He suddenly snapped his head up, pure hatred contorting his snout into a snarl that convinced Suicune to step back. "_An accident that I could've prevented_!"

His harsh tone echoed throughout the boundaries of Newmoon Island, and alongside the hurt and shock that ran through Suicune in response to his vicious words, she wouldn't be surprised if Darkrai had heard it despite his distance away from them.

Ever since the one comment that had been stated by the mother Blastoise earlier that day, Raikou's thoughts had circulated on the event that had led up to his exile from the council, as well as the event itself. Guilt stabbed his nerves, causing regretful chills to surge through his muscles and churning stomach, and such a feeling had made him hate himself just for the fact that he had never showed any sympathy for the childish things he had done in the past due to his arrogance. It was now and only now when he wished he could take it all back and fix the mistakes he had made in earlier times.

"These things happen, Raikou," Suicune muttered, her tone saddened. "I understand why you're hurt – you feel guilty for the things you have done wrong…"

"How could you _ever_ understand?" he spat, standing up. He couldn't stop the anger that was advancing all through his thoughts, forcing him to take his hatred towards himself out on the others he cared about. "You forgive me despite that I deserve my punishment." His head suddenly bowed, his body starting to shake with tearful gasps. "I don't deserve…forgiveness…I deserve to be alone."

He turned his head up, and Suicune's face contorted into shock at the sight of his glossy scarlet eyes as tears began to fall from them, his anger being substituted with depression and the obvious need for comfort.

"The world," he choked out again, his fur becoming damp like the grass beneath their paws, "would be a lot better place without me – I am nothing but a failure. I'm a fool for not realizing this until now."

Suicune shook her head, walking over and nuzzling her head under his chin, allowing him to bury his snout into her shoulder and let the tears finally fall. "I know that's not true," she assured him softly, her cheek rubbing against his to show her support.

"But those Pokemon…" he cried out from the warmth of her shoulder, sniffles following a few seconds after, "…and all those other mistakes I made that caused beings hurt. It all happened because of me! I'm too immature to be a hero, and too worthless to be a living being."

"_Don't say that_!" Suicune retorted, which convinced Raikou to pull away and eye her with a bewildered look, his eyes blood-shot from tears. Her face displayed determination, although it soon softened as her quieter tone then replied, "Raikou, I believe that you have a lot of potential." She turned her eyes away from him. "I can't say I'm proud of your past actions, and I agree that you're immaturity has caused problems." She returned her eyes to him. "But I don't think that you should dwell on the past when the future needs you the most."

Raikou sniffled again, feeling embarrassed for his 'wimpy' state he had just gone through in front of his female counterpart. Suicune could tell of this, and therefore she soon said, "It's all right."

"But how can returning to the council benefit those I would protect?" he asked, tone still carrying implications of hurt. Suicune slightly smiled before walking over and sitting down beside him, leaning over to rest her head against his shoulder. This caused a light array of pink to spread across his cheeks, as his anger had died down to let his original feelings return.

"We need you, Raikou," was all she replied, scarlet eyes still keeping their softened gaze. "The Johto Legendaries wouldn't be the same without the very being who is there to make us laugh when we're down."

Raikou slightly chuckled, happy that he had contributed to the team in some sort of way when it came to his childishness. Despite this, however, he soon frowned once again. "But how…how am I going to get back on the council?" By the way his tone had stuttered slightly, Suicune could tell that he wasn't completely supportive of the idea, and his comments that he had made towards his past actions a few minutes ago proved that he was unsure if he was ready to allow the council to trust him again. Nonetheless, she decided to reply with her plan anyway.

"By proving to the council you deserve to be part of the team."

Raikou's eyes brightened at realizing that such an option existed, although his fears and guilt started to persuade him to object against it.

His thoughts were subsided when Suicune then stated, "And we do that by having you perform something so heroic that only the intentions of a Legendary could match it."

Fear yet again struck Raikou's heart - on how if he was unable to keep his role among the council in the first place, how would anyone expect him to go through on such an attempt that it would convince the ENTIRE council to give him his Legendary status once again? Did he even deserve a try? And if he did try, then would he be successful? And what action could possibly be so heroic that Arceus, as well as the rest of the council, would actually give their faith to him once again for pulling it off?

"We'll think of something…" Suicune cooed when she caught a glimpse of Raikou's bewildered face. The thunder tiger shook away his worries from his head and slowly nodded, eyes locked with hers.

"Would the council even want me back at the end of all this?" he muttered, depression clinging to his tone to where he sounded hopeless, although such a thing didn't surprise Suicune at all. "Would anyone really want me back?"

Suicune turned to him. "Of course! I mean…" Her eyes darted around, as if she was searching for clues towards an excuse, mentally going over the few Legendaries that favored her thunder counterpart. "…Entei definitely misses you…"

Her tone had sounded confused, and since it was cute to Raikou he chuckled a bit, glad that he was seeing a side to the water dog he didn't even know existed.

She suddenly turned her eyes away from him, a tint of red beginning to make its way across her own cheeks as the main conclusion on why _she_ wanted her counterpart back came up as a reason. "Besides…"

Raikou eyed her with obvious curiosity, waiting for the conclusion of her statement.

"I sort of…missed you."

And with that she lowered her head to rest it against his shoulder once more, her nervous face relaxing into a soft one since her secret had finally been revealed. Raikou didn't blush from the statement, nor did he stutter over an embarrassed reply, but instead only smiled warmly as he bent his head to rest it on top of hers, silence befalling upon both of them as they enjoyed each other's long-awaited company.

-ooo-

"Ah, young love," the elegant Legendary, Cresselia, whispered to Darkrai from the concealment of the bushes. They were both hidden, watching Raikou and Suicune form their plan together and, all in the while, enjoy each other's presence and the fact that they were finally together.

Darkrai huffed again, crossing his arms, sea-green eyes narrowed into an unimpressed formation. "Nothing but a distracting emotion, if you ask me."

Cresselia turned to him, eyes narrowing as well, although it was obvious she wasn't surprised by such a response from her loner counterpart. Darkrai only shrugged, his eyes giving a hey-it's-the-truth look, which convinced Cresselia to shake her head in slight disappointment.

"I mean," Darkrai then began again, "what's so great about love anyway? If it's just me and only me, I don't see why there's a need for anybody else." With another snort he then disappeared behind the forest trees, course obviously set on his mountain cave, and when his presence was gone Cresselia allowed herself to finally show her sadness.

"_If only you knew_…" was all she could muster herself to whisper to the loneliness that surrounded her.

-ooo-

The darkness of the night fell upon the towering mountains of the Hoenn region, swiping ebony across their rough surfaces, shadows creeping up the indents imbedded within their rocky patterns. As the moon continued its nightly course across the sky, a shadowed form flew above the tips of the valley.

With glowing eyes, the Legendary dragon, Rayquaza, soared through the air as if he was on patrol, having just decided to scan the mountain areas of his region for suspicious activity among its Pokemon inhabitants. Surprisingly, not a creature stirred from the havens between the valley crevasses, and therefore Rayquaza found himself frowning in boredom.

Suddenly, a being hidden by the night's shadows slid across the grounds of a small mountain, causing the sounds of crumbling pebbles to echo throughout the valley. Rayquaza's head immediately snapped towards the origin of the noise, and with determined eyes he lowered himself through the air towards the designated spot.

Staying silent, he allowed his eyes to survey the shadowed grounds of the jungle of mountains, their barren landscapes displaying nothing but pure isolation from others. Rayquaza mentally scowled at his luck since he felt adventurous to scare mischievous troublemakers tonight, and the fact that nothing lively moved among the mountains at this time of night disappointed him.

All of a sudden, he felt a sharp kick tear through his side, sending his snake-like body instantly flying and crashing into the hard ground a few feet away. As lingering dust from the movements cleared and the echoing sounds of tumbling pebbles dissipated, Rayquaza slowly opened his eyes, moaning slightly as pain surged through his back muscles.

Eventually he placed his small claws on the floor, which helped him hoist the upper part of his body up so he could identify his attacker. However, the being he saw that stood firmly a few feet away from him made him gasp in bewilderment and utter disbelief.

A Blaziken stood emotionless against the boundaries of the night, eyes glowing in the dark. But the presence of this quite common Pokemon wasn't what surprised Rayquaza.

The Blaziken was half cybernetic.

Its stunning silver appendages shined alongside the moon's light, and its robotic left eye zoomed in, sending a long, thin red laser to aim directly at Rayquaza's head. Soon it chirped in an electronic tone, as if confirming something, before muttering out its name altogether, black smoke shooting from the jets behind it. The green dragon soon gasped when dozens of other types of Pokemon, all containing cybernetic features installed forcefully into their flesh, appeared from the shadows that lurked across the mountain's grounds.

Rayquaza roared, showing his anger through piercing eyes as he lifted off into the air, opening his jaw to unleash a bright bream that lit up the area as it collided against rock, heading straight towards the imposing cybernetic Pokemon, who dodged it with such speed that they appeared as blurs in Rayquaza's eyes. It wasn't long before another surge of pain exploded in his side, and he turned his head to notice that the metallic fist of a cybernetic Hitmonchan had plunged into his back.

In panic Rayquaza forced himself into the air, deciding to try to outrun the unreal Pokemon, who soon disappeared from sight as the green dragon flew over the valley. With a sigh of relief he cringed as lingering pain then took over, causing him to go into a dazed mess, leaving him distracted and therefore unaware of the cybernetic Dragonite that had flown up to his level upon robotic wings. With a powerful beam of the Dragonite's own, Rayquaza was collided with immense destructive energy that had been reformatted into a Hyper Beam, and was shot down from the sky, tumbling towards the valley crevasses below. As his consciousness left him due to the severe pain, he spotted the cybernetic Pokemon closing in on him like hungry predators to prey.

And then it all went black.

-ooo-

**

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

**

Blegh, emo Raikou.

Anyway, I know that Rayquaza's capture seemed rushed, but that's because it was. I didn't want to make it too long, but yet in unison imply that Terotrey's Pokemon have been sent out to capture the Legendaries.

Anyway, see you later!


	5. Escape

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Escape

* * *

**

-ooo-

A large, humanoid being, his body hidden beneath an ebony cloak, swept past the trees of the Hoenn region, his glowing eyes peering seriously at the environment around him from under the shadows of a concealing hood. Like a lone knight banished to the shadows of the dying day, the being's long amethyst-colored tail swished behind him as his feet danced across the branches of the trees, sending his body flying through the air with barely a whisper of the wind snapping behind him.

He knew danger was near.

His three-fingered hands slowly supported his weight as he touched down on the forest ground in a kneeling formation, his shaded eyes scanning the area around him, giving him the impression of being a skilled and stealthy predator on the search for his prey. However, he wasn't hunting for purposes of food, but instead for the last few Legendaries he was sure hadn't been caught yet.

Their power…it was all diminishing right before his eyes, the images of them being captured by metallic monsters flashing through his head whenever his eyelids were closed. He was trying to focus on them, trying to spot a clue that would give him their location, or possibly a clearer portrayal of whatever was hunting them down.

_Nothing_…whatever the imposing monsters were, his mind could not track them, and he sneered silently to himself for this.

He knew they had taken his sister, as her power waves had dissipated from his range, therefore he could no longer sense her presence anywhere among the land. His eyes opened, narrowing instantly as he stood up, his hands clenching in anger. Despite the few pieces of information he could obtain from his failed attempts of tracking the unidentified enemies, he knew one thing for certain, and such a thought sprang through his mind as he continued his fast trek through the trees.

The Legendaries were in danger.

And he had little time to warn the few that were still left.

-ooo-

The sky among Newmoon Island grew brighter in color as the sun rose from the horizon, dubbing the land in a waking gold and somehow convincing the ocean to gain a small aggressive touch upon its waves. The island trees shook with morning glory, such whisks of soft wind causing Raikou, who was snoozing away in the sanctuary of Darkrai's cave, to raise his head up, smacking his lips together to clear his mouth of dryness before opening it entirely to release a large yawn.

"Morning, kid," Darkrai mumbled from the corner of the cave. His arms were crossed, his shoulder leaning up against the entrance wall to outside as his sea-green eyes admired the beauty of the early day. Raikou got up on all fours, stretching each limb to relieve himself of cramped muscles before groggily making his way to his island-mate, who turned to eye him with amusement. The said thunder tiger was stumbling over his own claws, nearly tipping over completely because of it.

"So…I…suppose…I…should get to work…" Raikou managed to murmur out incoherently, sleepiness lingering within his droopy eyes. Darkrai wasn't surprised of such a thing, seeing as how the thunder tiger had stayed up late to spend time with Suicune the day before, although the said water dog had gotten up earlier to explore the island a bit. Darkrai was quite bewildered by the fact that Suicune was pushing her luck when she had decided to stay at the island for the night; but, then again, he knew that Arceus was usually never aware of anything unless someone told him, and therefore she was safe when it came to that fact. Regardless of all this, though, it was still pretty risky.

The nightmare Legendary turned to Raikou, an expression of hopelessness colliding with his annoyed one. With a bottled sigh, he then forced himself to reply, "Eh, don't worry about it, kid. You can take the day off."

As if his words were some sort of alarm clock or energy boost, Raikou's face brightened with happiness, causing his tiredness to dissipate into thin air. "Really?" he then squealed with joy, obviously wanting to confirm such a decision that seemed oxymoronic for Darkrai.

The dark-type sighed again, although now it was more of a groan of regret, before he slowly nodded. "Yeah, yeah, go spend the day with Suicune." He turned around, obviously not wanting to see the thunder tiger's gratitude, as he was quite the despiser of sappy, friendship thanks for the sake of doing favors.

Immediately Raikou rushed out of the cave, his intentions obviously set on finding his counterpart, and Darkrai only rolled his eyes at the sight. When the thunder tiger had disappeared behind the bushes, though, the nightmare Legendary sighed through his nostrils, thoughts of love beginning to run through his head –

"Good morning, Darkrai."

Darkrai jumped back in shock, breathing heavily as Cresselia emerged from the bushes, a laugh erupting from her lips at the look of surprise that covered her counterpart's facial features. Darkrai quickly regained his serious expression, however, crossing his arms before snorting in repugnance. Cresselia ceased her chuckling at this, although amusement now glittered from her eyes.

"Don't sneak up on me," Darkrai muttered simply, and Cresselia couldn't help but cock her head slightly at the slowness and zombie-like feeling that had occupied his tone. Usually when she annoyed him he would lash out at her with a harsh voice and snooty comments, but now it was almost as if he didn't care at all. Darkrai, who obviously noticed her bewildered state, only turned the other way, eyes now locked onto the brightening sky above.

Cresselia slowly moved closer to her counterpart, now somewhat concerned. "Darkrai, are you okay?"

"What?" Darkrai mumbled emotionlessly, although he shook his head as if removing thoughts and escaping from his trance. "Oh, yeah, yeah…I'm fine." He focused his eyes towards the ground, and with the large amounts of misery that now hovered above him, Cresselia was more worried than before. Such an attitude was unlike of him.

"Okay…" was all she muttered, however, deciding not to push the conversation she had no right to be involved in any further, and instead hovered closer to him until she was right by his side. Then, with her own depressed expression, she turned to look at her counterpart, whose pondering eyes were still focused on the grassy ground.

_Love is a worthless emotion_…

Darkrai's head turned up, as if he had just realized something – as if the strange feeling he felt whenever he saw Raikou be with Suicune, or any other Legendary couples -

He slightly turned to gaze upon Cresselia, who didn't seem to notice his attention.

- or Cresselia…

Was he…? _How could he be_? It made no sense for him to be!

He snarled silently to himself as he shook his head away, obviously desperate to cause such thoughts to diminish, and the feelings that worked alongside them. He didn't want to have such feelings; he was a loner, and he worked alone. It was obvious he was destined to be alone, that such feelings didn't belong in his head…or in his heart.

But why? Why were they still there, no matter how many times he had tried to deny it over the years?

He turned to look at her again, his face now expressing that of a yearning romantic.

How could he be in love with his counterpart, Cresselia?

-ooo-

Raikou ran through the bushes, his muscles pushing themselves to the limit as his need to see Suicune grew bigger. He began to pant, although a smile still graced his face as he emerged into the familiar clearing between the trees where his counterpart had confronted him the day before, telling him of her plan to make him a Legendary once again. Such an idea was still frowned upon by him, as he still somewhat believed that his forgiveness wasn't deserved; but, as Suicune had assured him, maybe it wouldn't hurt to put some thought into it.

His ruby eyes scanned the grassy grounds of the clearing, stopping and beginning to glow with brightness when they soon locked onto Suicune, who was slowly examining the sky above her, obviously admiring its beauty. Raikou smiled mischievously as he crouched low, the long grass concealing his large figure as he then used his cat-like instincts to sneak through the weeds, gaining closer to his oblivious counterpart inch by inch.

"Gotcha ya!"

Suicune squealed when Raikou suddenly pounced on her, bringing them both to the ground in a laughing heap. Their bodies rolled across the floor until stopping by a tall tree, and Raikou found himself on top of his counterpart, while she was glaring at him from below his caging paws, her back being comforted by wet grass. All the water dog could see before her eyesight was Raikou's towering head, which bore a cheesy grin of childish attributes.

"You're horrible," she muttered, her frown tight, obvious annoyance radiating from her stern expression, while Raikou only somewhat chuckled. He then leaned forward to nuzzle her in the snout, which seemed to contort her impatience into a gain of affection, as she only nuzzled back.

Raikou, with a slight blush across his cheeks, pulled away and allowed his counterpart to return to her feet. With sudden bewilderment, as if remembering the question just now, he asked, "Hey, does Entei know you're here?"

"Eh…kind of," she replied, "I told him that I was going to the Kanto region to investigate a location, as 'supposedly' requested by Arceus, and that I would be back in a while."

"He believed you?"

It was now Suicune's turn to grin immaturely. "Yup."

"Wow -"

Their conversation was brought to a sudden end when the loud bellow of an explosion tore through the air, instantly snapping Raikou and Suicune's attention away from each other and bringing it to rest upon the sky, where a large smoke trail was seen rising from a far location on the island. Exchanging nervous glances, Raikou slowly took a step forward as if to try to examine the rising trail of smoke more clearly.

"What the hell...?" he managed to mumble out, confused and surprised by the sudden strange interruption, his thoughts now circulating on what was the possible cause behind the distant explosion. Suicune seemed to ponder on it as well, as she moved even closer to the view than he.

Instantly worries of Darkrai and Cresselia's safety rushed through her head, as well as the _horrific_ possibilities behind the explosion, which brought her eyes to rest upon Raikou's bewildered face. "Come on!" she then cried out before swiftly taking off into the bushes, heading straight towards the origin of the smoke trail. Without question or a stumble of surprise, Raikou took off in the same direction just as quick.

-ooo-

It wasn't long before Raikou and Suicune, who were running through the tangles of the island's forest side-by-side, felt the radiating heat of a feeding fire prance across their skin. With looks that displayed more worry than before, they quickened their speed, stopping instantly and in horrific awe when they emerged into the crimson mesh of burning trees, the flames rising the temperature to a blazing level as orange and red danced across the Legendary and exile's widened eyes and gaping mouths. For those split seconds of being surrounded by a rampaging forest fire, they were without movement or sound.

Suddenly, a crash was heard nearby as a Charizard tore through the burning trees and bushes, its mouth snarling with ferociousness, hints of burnt residue covering its lips. It was quite obvious that it had been the starter for the fire, which was slowly advancing across the trees and surrounding plant life.

However, as Raikou and Suicune gazed upon the orange dragon, their mouths gaped even wider, utter disbelief colliding with the horror that lingered among their eyes.

The Charizard's robotic arm, which went alongside the other cybernetic appendages among its scarred body, clenched as black smoke blew from its socket holes, the corresponding robotic wing that flapped slightly from its back covered in intimidating spikes that were already drenched in dried blood – blood that Raikou didn't want to bother pondering on who was its possible owner.

With an electronic roar emitting from its mouth, which squeaked open as screws turned to allow such an action, the Charizard rushed forward, its gleaming cybernetic eye flashing with approval. It didn't take long for Raikou or Suicune to know what it had been doing.

It had been hunting for them.

Immediately Suicune broke off and rushed into the bushes, quickly retaliating as she used such a distraction to launch a powerful Water Gun towards the cybernetic Charizard, who was thrown backwards from the rush of water, crashing into the burning trees. Raikou only allowed his eyes to dart in every direction as nervousness froze him on the spot. Suicune stopped right by him, shooting him a serious look before returning her narrowed orbs to the crash site of the cybernetic Charizard.

She, however, found herself frozen as well when the Charizard rose from its fallen position, its body displaying no injuries of any sort, its status in perfect condition. Eventually it snarled viciously, turning its head to eye Suicune like a crazed serial killer. Suicune instantly gaped at the sight – she had caused no damage to it whatsoever!

With another robotic roar, the cybernetic Charizard launched itself forward with even more speed than before.

"Run!" Suicune spat, and Raikou quickly dodged to the side as the Charizard whizzed past him. The robotic beast turned around swiftly, though, and Raikou froze with fear as it headed straight towards him like a speeding bullet.

Suddenly Suicune intercepted it, jumping into the monster right before it made contact with her counterpart, and dragging it to the ground. With snarls and flailing limbs, the Charizard struggled to escape from Suicune's grasp as she tried to lock it in place against the ground, refusing to give it freedom despite how much it squirmed. She knew she couldn't hold it for long, and therefore she turned to her counterpart. "_Run_!" she repeated, although a harsh, commanding tone now occupied her voice.

The thought to do such a thing was subsided, however, when a Sceptile and Feraligatr, who all had robotic appendages that gleamed scarlet in the encompassing fires, emerged into the battleground, expressions stern with viciousness as they immediately launched themselves towards Raikou. The thunder tiger, who was growing more desperate for answers, quickly jumped to the side as the said cybernetic Pokemon rushed through his prior spot. Simultaneously, Suicune was forced off when the captived robotic Charizard pushed her roughly away with its robotic arm, bringing itself to its feet.

"What the hell are these things?" Raikou cried out to his counterpart, who was by his side, backing away from the Charizard, and the Sceptile and Feraligatr when they emerged from the bushes once more.

The thunder tiger was suddenly forced to the side when Suicune nudged him into the bushes, putting them into a full-out run as they tried to escape from the imposing cybernetic monsters. The ruins of a living forest surrounded them as the forest fire raged on, seeming to go on for the miles they ran in a desperate attempt to flee from the robotic Pokemon that seemed unbeatable. They felt their breaths quicken once again when the said cybernetic Pokemon tore through the bushes right beside them, causing the both of them to move off to the side unexpectedly.

"How are they finding us?" Raikou yelped out to his counterpart, who was too busy trying to keep up with him and out of the reach of the chasing robotic Pokemon to provide a plausible theory – if such was even possible.

They eventually emerged into the opening of the beach, the waves overlapping anxiously across the sand as if the ocean was scared itself. Immediately their eyes fell onto the far corner of the beach, where a large boat was docked, a dozen robotic Pokemon surrounding it and pulling in two large objects that were secured in cages onto the ship's deck. Raikou didn't need to examine the captived objects closely to know what they were…or rather: _who_ they were.

"Darkrai! Cresselia!" Raikou screamed out, although with the fact that the two said Pokemon had been knocked out and thrown into cages, his plea hadn't been heard by them…

…but instead by the robotic Pokemon that surrounded them.

Immediately the cybernetic Pokemons' eyes turned to the distant figures of Raikou and Suicune, in which some growled ferociously before taking off towards them in breathtaking speed. Raikou gasped, while Suicune struggled to look for a proper way out, her worries of Darkrai and Cresselia's captured condition colliding with her theories on a safe way away from the robotic predators.

Suddenly, though, a cloaked figure materialized beside them, causing Raikou to jump back and Suicune to only stare bewilderedly. The being's face was concealed by a hood, although the connected long cape failed to cover his amethyst-colored tail. Without bothering to introduce himself, the being raised his hand up, clenching his ball-ended fingers together and in response soon launching a large Shadow Ball towards the incoming robotic Pokemon, which some were thrown back by the hit.

The Charizard, Sceptile, and Feraligatr that had been chasing Raikou and Suicune before soon emerged from the bushes beside them, and the cloaked being struggled to force them back with his psychic abilities, tossing them away to the side with a strong use of telekinesis. Despite all this, though, the robotic Pokemon displayed no major injuries from the powerful hits, and kept on approaching. Raikou could hear the cloaked being growl behind gritted teeth in frustration as he edged closer to them, like a guardian protecting his or her designated targets.

The being suddenly turned to face Raikou and Suicune, a look of pondering displaying amongst his shaded eyes, as if he was debating on a decision in his mind. Meanwhile, Raikou and Suicune both switched their glances between the surrounding robotic Pokemon and Cresselia and Darkrai, who had now been secured tightly within their cages among the deck of the boat.

"Hold on tight," the being suddenly muttered, and before Raikou or Suicune could reply about Darkrai or Cresselia, the being, while shooting a look towards the captived Legendaries, added, "It's too late for them." He suddenly grasped onto Raikou and Suicune tightly with his fists, and with his eyes closing slowly he focused all of his energy onto himself and the Legendary and exile.

The cybernetic Pokemon, who were advancing closer to them like brainless zombies, launched themselves forward with bullet speed, ready to pounce on their prey altogether.

They gained closer…

Suicune shut her eyes, feeling her muscles suddenly lose all of their strength...

Closer…

Raikou could feel himself become weightless, as if he was lifting into the air…

A split second before contact…

Raikou, Suicune, and the cloaked being disappeared into thin air, causing the robotic Pokemon to glare at each other bewilderedly, and at the spot where their targets used to be.

They were gone.

-ooo-

**

* * *

To Be Continued

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**

o.o

Who's the cloaked being? Well, it was requested that he make a cameo into this story by one of my readers (no, he's not an OC), and he knows how to teleport, and he has a 'sister' who's a Legendary (well, to me she's his sister). Figure it out yet? xD It'll be revealed next chap.

Apart from that, see you later!


	6. Ally

Hey peoples!

Woah, fast update!

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Ally

* * *

**

-ooo-

"Dude…?"

Raikou's eyelids struggled to open, heaviness – a side symptom of sudden fatigue – forcing them to be practically glued shut. Tiredness fell onto his muscles as he tried to focus on the male voice that was obviously trying to coax him to wake. The unknown being's voice trailed off to the sanctuaries of the exile's mind, as if it was nothing but a fading dream, although he knew it wasn't and therefore he pushed himself to wake.

But he was…so tired.

He didn't remember much of what happened – what felt like – a few minutes ago, and because of this he was somewhat scared to open his eyes, afraid to learn that he was possibly just found by a human trainer – a trainer most likely determined to catch him.

"Focus, dude…"

The voice trailed off in a dream-like way once more, and Raikou now only noticed the uneducated tone that followed the being's accent. Most likely the said coaxer was drugged on something, which was a situation Raikou definitely didn't want.

_A stoned trainer_.

Raikou moaned out, wishing that the darkness that encompassed his sight would dissipate, and because of this he struggled to open his eyes, trying his best to get rid of the following blurriness in the wake. Eventually, to his luck, he managed to slide his eyelids up into slits, giving him a narrowed view of the cloudless, morning sky and surrounding trees.

It also gave him the sight of a big, green face that practically blocked out his view like some sort of eclipse. Raikou mentally scolded himself as he tried to focus on the being in front of him, and he was soon able to slide his eyelids fully open, causing the lingering blurriness that occupied his eyesight to diminish instantly. It was then when he recognized the spiky head, green skin, beady, yet somewhat half-closed obsidian eyes, and the droopy facial expression that gave the identified species the semblance of a 'slow' teenager.

A Roselia.

Indeed that's what it was, or rather, what _he_ was, and Raikou backed off slightly, leaning forward from his lying position to a sitting formation. Because he rose to his natural height, the Roselia now seemed much smaller, barely reaching to his knee length. The exile, ignoring the dry blades of grass and tall trees that surrounded him, only turned his confused eyes towards the Roselia, who now had a big grin on his face.

"Yo, dude, you live!" the Roselia chuckled, his accent slow with attributes of a 'surfer dude', which made Raikou assume that he was quite the uneducated type. Of course, the thunder tiger was just happy that it wasn't a stoned human trainer, although the Roselia did seem wobbly enough to be classified as a person on drugs.

"Uh…hi?" Raikou murmured out, still somewhat tired as he tried to remember the things that had happened to him previously, while simultaneously wondering about his current situation. He brought a paw to his pounding head, although he shook it slightly as if trying to regain his jumbled thoughts.

"Sup, man," the Roselia greeted, his slow voice still…slow. The small rose being turned his head around, which Raikou lazily allowed his eyes to follow, and somewhat widened them when another green creature came into view at the far side of the grassy field. This creature however, was about his size.

The Roselia, his droopy expression still showing, put one of his large rose-resembling hands towards his face, as he then called out, "Dude, Skyler!"

The green creature rose its head up, its emerald eyes shining brightly despite the distance between it and Raikou, who cocked his head slightly, still in the process of waking up. The green creature soon stumbled its way over, and that's when Raikou realized that it was nothing but a Flygon, who had an amused expression laid upon its snout.

"Hello, mate!" the male Flygon greeted happily, his Australian accent strong. Raikou slightly fell back, somewhat scared of the new identities he had yet to learn. "Oy, it's okay, mate," the Flygon then assured him, a large smile forming across his lips. "We found you and your friends out here in the middle of this field, mate! Anyway, my name's Skyler!" He turned to the Roselia. "And this here's Jeff."

Raikou frowned, eyebrow quirked. "'Jeff'?"

Jeff the Roselia crossed his arms, his droopy expression gaining an angry hue, although his surfer dude accent failed to give him an intimidating appearance. "You got a problem with that, dude?"

Raikou squeaked slightly before hesitantly shaking his head.

Jeff puffed his tiny chest out. "I didn't think so." His smile then returned. "My full name is _Jefferson Drewyer Roselia_, dude." He turned to Skyler, his rose hand stuck out in the act of pointing. "And his name is short for…um…uh…" The Roselia cocked his head, his face contorting into that of a teen stumped entirely on a kindergarten math problem.

The Flygon groaned in impatience. "Jeff, I told you; my name is just Skyler." He turned his head to Raikou, his voice now coming out as a whisper into the thunder tiger's ear. "Eh, sorry about that, mate, Jeff can be a little slow at times. He sniffs his own roses a little too much…"

"Yo, I heard that, dude!"

Skyler turned to Jeff, his eyes furrowed, a frown now covering his snout. "Well, you do, mate. It's not healthy!" The Flygon placed his claws on his hip areas like a strict father.

Jeff only snorted, turning away and crossing his arms.

Meanwhile, however, Raikou switched his nervous glances between the two fighting Pokemon, blowing out a sigh of misery. When the two said pals noticed this, they turned towards him, and Jeff walked forward on his pointy feet, a grin now growing on his droopy face. "Oh yeah, dude," he then squealed happily and somewhat amazed, "you're that Raikou, dude. _A Legendary_!"

The thunder tiger immediately frowned, his eyes darkening with sadness as he bowed his head. Skyler immediately saw this and therefore slowly approached him, his voice soft with slight concern. "You okay, mate?"

Raikou turned his head away. "I'm not a Legendary anymore," he then moaned out quietly, although it was loud enough to cause Jeff and Skyler to display expressions of awe.

"Aw, shucks, dude," Jeff mumbled out, sadness radiating from his voice. "That sucks; what happened?"

Taking in a long breath, Raikou turned to face the two Pokemon and explained the whole story, his stay at Darkrai's island, and the mysterious robotic Pokemon that had attacked it, as well as the cloaked figure that had saved them.

"That's quite the tale, mate," Skyler commented, Jeff nodding in agreement.

"But don't worry, dude," Jeff then chuckled, walking over to the exile and patting him on the forearm with his hand. It was obvious he was referring to the accident that got Raikou exiled. "Things happen, may they be by accident or Fate. The important thing to know is that dwelling on past problems won't fix them now."

Skyler blinked in surprise, while Raikou couldn't help but do the same. Jeff only switched his bewildered glances between the thunder tiger and desert dragon, raising his hands up in the form of a clueless shrug. "What'd I say?"

"Jeff…that was…brilliant," Skyler slowly replied, eyes still widened in a surprised manner. "Such a theorized assurance seems out of your league, mate."

Jeff snorted again, crossing his arms. "Are you inquiring that I'm dumb?"

"No, I'm just saying that you're not as 'fast' as the rest of us."

Jeff narrowed his eyes, while Skyler only stared back emotionlessly, and when Raikou thought that the grass being was going to throw a fit at the Flygon's replication that had obviously implied itself as an insult, Jeff only broke out into laughter. "Gee, thanks, dude!" he squealed, his smile big, and Raikou only rolled his eyes at the clueless-ness that seemed to follow his character. Meanwhile, Skyler slapped his forehead, seeming ashamed to know the Roselia that stood proud in front of him.

The thunder tiger suddenly widened his eyes, his main predicament finally returning to mind. "Suicune!" he then cried, breathless, which caused both Skyler and Jeff to jump back in shock, although the Flygon eventually pointed to the far side of the field.

"Your girlfriend's resting over there, mate."

Raikou slightly blushed at the choice of words before following Jeff and Skyler as they led him to a clear patch within the grass. In this very patch lay Suicune, still unconscious from the cloaked being's teleportation, and as Raikou stared lovingly at Suicune's calm sleeping expression, he finally remembered the unknown person who had saved them as well. At the sound of this, Jeff pointed to a nearby tree, where the cloaked being was sitting up against, his hood down, revealing his face and therefore his identity.

Mewtwo.

Raikou slightly gaped at this, although he knew that it was quite obvious. However, he wondered why Mewtwo would want to help him and Suicune, or any Legendaries for that matter, which such a question convinced him to walk over to the manmade Pokemon. Mewtwo slowly opened his eyes, hints of weakness covering him as his narrowed orbs eyed the approaching thunder tiger, who carried a somewhat nervous expression across his face. Behind him were Jeff and Skyler.

"You're finally awake," Mewtwo mumbled, his deep telepathic voice emitting out loud as if it had been spoken through his very frowning mouth. His ebony cloak still covered most parts of his body, and his amethyst-colored tail swished around at every sound that passed, while he himself remained still against the tree like a fatigued warrior.

"What happened?" Raikou found himself asking almost instantly. "Where are we?"

Mewtwo sighed, as if despising the idea of explaining the current situation. He eventually turned his head up, his serious expression making Raikou feel somewhat intimidated. "The robotic monsters that attacked Darkrai's island…I have no idea on what they were, or who created them. I do know, however, that they have been hunting Legendaries, capturing them and bringing them somewhere."

Raikou's jaw dropped at this, an instant tone of worry covering his face and eyes.

Mewtwo lowered his determined orbs to the ground before starting again. "I had been desperately trying to find the power waves of Legendaries that were still free, and Newmoon Island was the only location that sported such waves. As you can see, when I got there, the robotic Pokemon had attacked and captured both Darkrai and Cresselia. All I could do was save you and Suicune by teleporting us here, which is a forest near the west coast of the Sinnoh region. Such an act as teleporting took a lot of my energy, and therefore I'm weak now."

Raikou's own eyes displayed determination, and he turned them to Mewtwo.

"I am aware that you have been exiled from the Legendary council," Mewtwo suddenly muttered, causing Raikou to jump back slightly. "However, such a thing may be an advantage to saving the other Legendaries…"

Raikou widened his eyes, and eagerly replied, "How?"

"Somehow those robotic Pokemon can track Legendaries," Mewtwo answered, his voice still slow and deep. "This is why they have been able to hunt every Legendary down despite the various tactics that have been used to fight against them. I believe that since you have been exiled, therefore your Legendary traits have been removed, they can't technically track you."

Raikou nodded, taking in the new information, although his face displayed concern once again. "But how is that really an advantage. I mean, when I got exiled my powers had been taken away, and now I am no powerful than any regular Pokemon."

Mewtwo sighed again. "Yes, this is true. But the people who are trying to hunt the Legendaries obviously don't know this, and therefore such things will probably carry advantages in the fight that is coming up."

"Fight? What fight?"

Mewtwo stood up, nearly falling over as weakness enshrouded his muscles on the spot. He eventually regained balance, however, and allowed his cloak to hide his whole body once again. "Raikou," he then began, "the universe is doomed if the Legendaries aren't here to survey the rules of natural order. This is why we need to rescue them as fast as possible, which means I can't guarantee you that this event is going to go without violence."

The thunder tiger turned the other way, not wanting to believe that any of the current events were happening – that everything was fine and happy. However, he knew that it wasn't, and that he and Suicune we're the only beings capable to save the other Legendaries from their prisons.

But…would he just mess up again?

Raikou frowned at this. Such a task as saving the other Legendaries from a villain he didn't even know was one risky job; and so was he even responsible enough to have the lives of the others placed in his paws? His worries about the other Legendaries collided with his debating thoughts, and soon his stomach churned at wondering what was possibly happening to Darkrai or Cresselia then and there, or perhaps…

…Entei.

The thunder tiger's eyes widened. He had to; he couldn't just run away from the ones he loved – from those who had always been there for him despite his majority of flaws!

He had to try. He owed the others that much.

"I am not a Legendary so I can't be tracked," Mewtwo then started again, earning a bewildered look from Raikou. "But even then one of those robotic monsters outmatches me in every way, so I'm going to need help to save the other Legendaries. I want to keep this world safe as much as anybody, which was why we need to rescue them."

After a while, Raikou slowly nodded, his determined expression returning.

"My energy still needs to recharge after that drastic escape from Newmoon Island," explained Mewtwo. "Because of this I can't teleport, so we're probably going to have to travel on foot. We need to search for any clues, may they be anywhere, on where the Legendaries could possibly be located, while simultaneously searching for Pokemon who will be willing to help us rescue them."

Raikou nodded.

Mewtwo shot his eyes towards Suicune, who was still sleeping. "Because Suicune is a Legendary, the robotic Pokemon will be able to track her." At the sight of Raikou's hurt face, Mewtwo added, "I know you love her, Raikou, which was why I don't want to force you to have to leave her separated from us for our own safety. Seeing as how she could be of major help, she needs to stay with us. Due to this, though, we're going to need to be constantly on the move to ensure that the robotic Pokemon have a low chance of catching up with us."

Raikou smiled slightly, happy that they weren't going to leave his counterpart behind. "But where do we go first?" he then asked.

"I don't know," Mewtwo responded, turning back around and sitting down, instantly allowing his back to rest against the tree trunk behind him. "We will figure that out later. Now, however, we will inform Suicune of our plan when she wakes. Until then, let her rest. You should, too, as we're all going to need it."

Raikou sighed through his nostrils before turning to face Skyler and Jeff, who had been listening to the whole story silently behind him. Memories of Suicune telling him about performing a task that would convince the council to give him back his Legendary status came into mind, but he soon scolded himself for thinking that the current situation would be good for that. How could he even ponder on using such a dark time to help regain his glory when the very lives of the Legendaries, as well as on the planet itself, was at stake?

"Mate…?"

Raikou snapped out of his thoughts, turning to Skyler, who was gazing at him with soft eyes, his tone gentle with assurance. The Flygon stepped forward before murmuring, "It sounds like you're going to try to start some sort of army to rescue the Legendaries." He shot his eyes towards Jeff, who returned the concerned gesture. "We'll be willing to help, mate," Skyler then finally admitted, and Raikou couldn't help but smile warmly.

"Yeah!" Jeff then roared out as he climbed to the top of Skyler's head, standing right between the desert dragon's long horns. He then raised his rose hand in the air, as if he was some sort of battle general ordering the imaginary troops around him to charge forward. "We're going to kick whoever caught the Legendaries's ass, dude!" He performed cheesy air punches, almost falling off of Skyler's head in the wake. Despite this, though, the desert dragon couldn't help but let out a quiet battle cry as well.

"Thanks guys," Raikou replied, although he soon added with a chuckle: "Welcome to the army."

The thunder tiger then turned the other way to eye the visible sunset that seethed through the slits between the forest trees, his smile now turning into a smirk as the current plan ran through his head.

Yes, he had been exiled.

Yes, the other Legendaries had been caught.

Yes, it seemed weird for the lives of the captured Legendaries to be placed in his paws, but despite all this he knew one thing.

He looked back, watching Jeff and Skyler, the first two newly added members of their slowly-growing army, eye the sunset from beside him.

He – no, _none_ of them were going down without a fight.

-ooo-

Darkrai struggled to regain consciousness, although after opening and closing his eyelids a majority of times, he managed to bring his focus out into the world from the jumbled depths of his mind. With a groan he rose himself up into a float, slowly allowing his sea-green eyes to examine the strange white-tiled room his cage, which had been reinforced with some kind of energy field that shocked him painfully whenever he got close to the iron bars, was in. Turning his eyes to the far corner of his cage, he noticed his counterpart, Cresselia, who was still sleeping from when she fainted due to fatigue.

Still confused on what had happened on his island – on how he and Cresselia had been ambushed while they were talking, Darkrai slowly brought his eyes to the cage next to his, which the fire lion, Entei, was laying down in, although his scarlet eyes were open into a narrowed formation.

"Hey, Entei," Darkrai softly whispered, not wanting his voice to be heard from any inhabitants outside of the metallic door into the room. The fire lion rose his head up, immediately bringing his eyes to Darkrai before getting up and walking somewhat, but not dangerously closer to the bars of his cage.

"What happened? Where are we?" the nightmare Legendary questioned, watching Entei's face contort into one of anger.

"_Team Rocket_," was all the fire lion muttered, and instantly hues of hatred covered Darkrai's face as well. "Those robotic Pokemon belong to them, and somehow they found me in the midst of hiding. Before I knew it I was beaten until I was knocked out and I woke up here."

Darkrai allowed his eyes to examine the colorless walls of the room, which some displayed the familiar large 'R' of the Rocket organization in red font. The nightmare Legendary turned to Entei once again, his serious voice still coming out as a whisper. "What is Team Rocket planning to do with us now? And how the hell did they even get their hands on such unbeatable monsters as those robotic Pokemon?"

Entei remained silent, and Darkrai didn't need a spoken hint to know that the old Pokemon was clueless to those subjects. The dark-type allowed his eyes to examine more nooks and crannies of the room from behind his cage, noticing then that only his (which he was sharing with Cresselia) and Entei's cages occupied the room, and that any other Legendaries weren't present.

"The others are spread out between various rooms in the hallway," the fire lion explained to Darkrai when he sensed that he was wanting an answer. "We're the only ones in this one."

Worries on the status of the other Legendaries plagued Darkrai's mind, and only when he shot a look towards his sleeping counterpart did he feel slight comfort. However, his attention, as well as Entei's, was snapped away when the metallic door into the room slid open, allowing a thirty-year-old man with long, silver hair to walk in, his maroon-colored eyes reflecting both arrogance and annoyance. Darkrai immediately began to growl, as well as Entei.

"Why, hello," the man greeted with the cheesiest sense of pretended friendliness Darkrai had ever heard, and the man then stared at him and Entei with look a of amusement, obviously mentally teasing them on their imprisoned states. It was then when he said his name, a name that all of the Legendaries, as well as Team Rocket themselves, would soon fear.

"I am Terotrey Horrifiance."

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

Well...I hope that didn't seem slow.

Anyway, next chap coming soon.


	7. Intentions

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chap!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Intentions****

* * *

**

-ooo-

The obsidian eyes of Giovanni stared emotionlessly at the ceiling of his office, a frown glued to his chapped lips, thoughts running through his head as he leaned back in his chair, giving his eyesight a clear view of the darkness above. With his fingers tapping on the seat's arm rest, he hummed to himself, his opposite hand covering his mouth, granting him a determined semblance.

The leader of Team Rocket had been doing such things as pondering heavily ever since Terotrey Horrifiance joined his side, providing him with powerful weapons that were able to capture the Legendaries without fail. Now the said creatures were locked in cages down in the underground halls, but even then Giovanni's mind was distracted by the repayment he was going to have to give Terotrey for his usefulness among the mission.

_A cut of the profits_?

Having the Legendaries under their control gave Team Rocket power beyond all means – power that was pending to be released after Terotrey gave the signal. Of course, Giovanni was trying to figure why Terotrey would want to keep the Legendaries down in the labs for a few weeks. Did he want to study them; perhaps create robotic replicas? Was he assuming that the ability to study the Legendaries up close was a fair trade for his collaboration with Team Rocket? Surely if the silver-haired scientist put all of his blood, sweat, and tears into building the machines that captured the Legendaries, he would want something much more than just the opportunity to study them.

Such a thought eventually caused a small inch of suspicion to rise from within Giovanni, and all at the fact that Terotrey was possibly waiting for the right time to betray Team Rocket. Then again, like the old leader had scolded himself for before, Giovanni tended to be a little too judgmental at times.

He was freed from his pondering state when the door into the room suddenly slid open and none other than Terotrey emerged from the darkened hallways behind it. An expression of seriousness was displayed across the scientist's face, the darkness that flooded the room causing his eyes to glow. His arms were behind his back as he approached Giovanni's desk, stopping a few feet before the oak wood table that sported work papers and field reports upon its surface.

"Yes…?" Giovanni mumbled, his harsh voice quiet as he brought his narrowed eyes to Terotrey. He folded his hands in front of his lap, frown tight, as his thoughts from before came back to mind – his sudden suspicion towards the supposedly loyal scientist causing his muscles to tense up. His rough exterior hid this, however.

The silver-haired scientist only shifted weight between his shoulders, although nervousness that usually followed the act was not present, and instead Terotrey eventually mumbled monotonically, "The Legendaries have been captured, Giovanni, so I think this is the perfect time to discuss our repayment obligations."

Speak of the devil.

Giovanni only snorted before leaning forward to bring his arms up onto his desk, clenching his hands together instantly as his elbows made contact with the cold wood. "My thoughts exactly," he then replied, his voice dripping with vileness. "'A fair share of the profits' is not specific, Terotrey. What is the exact thing you require for helping us in this mission?" He smiled somewhat. "I assure you that I can provide practically anything you want…"

Terotrey smirked, leaning forward as well, although he refused to touch the leader's desk in the act of respect. "The only thing I require is a chance to study the Legendaries up close."

_Is it really that simple_?

Giovanni gritted and grinded his teeth before leaning back again, the chair squeaking among its metal joints in response. Terotrey remained eventless, obviously waiting patiently for the leader's replication, although his awkward silence was enough to ensure that he was taking his request into mind.

"What for?"

Terotrey snorted himself as those words slid out of Giovanni's lips. He could feel that the leader was suspicious of him, and he despised such things for various reasons. Of course, he hid this with a flick of one of his bangs before leaning forward all the way to slap his hands somewhat-harshly onto Giovanni's desk, which brought Giovanni's emotionless eyes to cast a glance towards them before making eye contact with the scientist. Instead of feelings of hatred that would usually occupy a similar moment, Terotrey only chuckled, his voice being barricaded by his closed lips.

"Why, for my final experiment, Giovanni."

Giovanni quirked his eyebrow, his eyes narrowing alongside it as if he was trying to peer into the scientist's soul. He was tempted to ask what the experiment was, and did just that in a tone fit for a zombie, which didn't affect Terotrey as he then began to pull back from the desk.

"I can't tell you quite yet," Terotrey replied almost matter-of-factly, crossing his arms. "I can inform you, though, that in the end it will be definitely worth the wait…"

The scientist turned, immediately walking towards the door, his back facing the bewildered leader of Team Rocket. Of course, once the door closed behind him as he exited, cutting off his view of Giovanni's office, Terotrey added the last part of his sentence in the form of a hissing whisper, his eyes filled with arrogance as he shot a deathly glare towards the door.

"…_for me_."

-ooo-

"I spy something…yellowish brown."

"Raikou?"

"Oh, you're good, dude."

"Thanks. I spy something…blue."

"Is it Suicune?"

"You got it, mate!"

Mewtwo growled to himself, eyeing Jefferson Drewyer Roselia, who was sitting on top of Skyler the Flygon's head, both of whom were playing a simple game to help pass the awkward silent time as they, Mewtwo, Raikou, and Suicune walked slowly through the shrubs of the encompassing forest. Despite that the game was quite entertaining to the two regular Pokemon, Mewtwo was starting to get annoyed on how many times the game had been replayed the exact same way – on how many times Raikou and Suicune, who were walking in front of them, obviously paying no attention to the events behind them, were the chosen targets for the game.

Of course, the headache that was beginning to form in the delicate, yet powerful mind of the manmade Pokemon was also the case.

"I spy something…tiger-like."

"Raikou?"

"Good go, dude."

"Aw thanks, pal. All right, I spy something with…doggy attributes."

"It's totally Suicune, dude."

"Heh, you're right."

"Will you two _KNOCK_ – _IT_ – _OFF_?" Mewtwo snarled, his voice echoing throughout the forest, causing some flying Pokemon to rocket off a nearby tree as Raikou and Suicune snapped around instantly to eye the manmade Pokemon with widened, surprised eyes. Jeff and Skyler did the same, and Mewtwo only allowed his furious expression to show.

Jeff eventually snorted, however, crossing his arms. "I spy something grumpy…" he then mumbled, his surfer-dude accent carrying an offended tone. Skyler only shivered, somewhat intimidated by Mewtwo's demonic glare.

Raikou and Suicune rolled their eyes as they turned back around, somewhat chuckling at the childish situation. Even with the fact that their group had started their travels into the forest not too long after Suicune had woken up and was informed of their plan, tension and annoyance was already becoming an issue within the members. Then again, seeing Mewtwo have a coronary over the fact that Jeff and Skyler were just trying to entertain themselves for the time being caused a strong urge to laugh out loud begin to dwell up within the exile and Legendary. They suppressed it, however, seeing as how they didn't want to risk angering Mewtwo even more.

"Where exactly are we going anyway, mates?" Skyler then asked, obviously trying to dissipate the lingering tension with an off-topic question. Jeff, whose narrowed eyes were glaring viciously at Mewtwo, remained silent, while Mewtwo himself turned his head the other way, refusing to make eye contact with the Roselia. Raikou and Suicune sighed, eyeing each other hopelessly as they both stepped over a large log.

Eventually, though, with his voice still displaying aftermaths of annoyance, Mewtwo replied, "Like I said, anywhere that we could possibly find information on the location of the Legendaries, or help on rescuing them." His eyes traveled over the mossy grounds. "However, we haven't seen a single Pokemon so far…"

Jeff sailed his own droopy eyes over the surroundings, stopping instantly when he caught sight of a black form sweep behind the towering trees overhead. Instantly fear rose within him, on how the unidentified being was possibly a robotic Pokemon, and the Roselia only jabbed his rose hand towards the form's prior location. "Look over there, dudes!"

Immediately all eyes turned to the location – a large shrub packed together between two tree trunks, golden arrays of light peeking upon it as the sun's shine bled through the holes of the trees' canopying leaves above. Raikou slowly moved forward, narrowed eyes filled with suspicion, as Mewtwo and Suicune joined his side, Jeff and Skyler staying back to observe the situation from a far position.

Fallen leaves crunched under Raikou's paws as the exile slowly approached the shrub, bowing his head slightly as if he was a tiger sneaking up on his prey –

"_Watch out_!"

Raikou yelped in fear as he fell backwards over his own paws, widened eyes gazing upon the Luxray that had suddenly emerged from the shrub. Suicune took a battle position, Mewtwo floating closer, psychic energy building up within his mind, while Jeff and Skyler only exchanged surprised glances. The Luxray jumped from the shrub, landing right in front of Raikou, narrowed eyes glaring, although they softened with determination when he then whispered, "Be very quiet, my friends."

In bewilderment, Mewtwo and Suicune calmed their muscles, while Raikou stayed still, remaining silent like the random Luxray had commanded. Jeff and Skyler froze in place as well, nervous eyes darting in every direction as only the faint sounds of a thriving forest filled the air. With every passing second, more tension rose from within the group, all waiting silently for whatever the reason the Luxray was snapping his head around, determined eyes searching the grounds.

All of a sudden, an Absol jumped from the same bushes, landing on the ground right beside the Luxray. Raikou and the others jolted with surprise, although they stayed still in place, not wanting to risk messing something up with movement. The Absol seemed to pay no attention to them, as its red eyes instead peered at the Luxray, who was returning the same look.

"Did you find anything?" the Luxray asked in a whisper, but the Absol slowly shook its head as it shot a quick glance behind it.

"Nothing," she replied, her feminine tone, which contained strength nonetheless, confirming her female gender. With her red eyes, the Absol slowly eyed Raikou and the others, her black face immediately contorting into shock upon gazing at them.

The Luxray seemed to notice this, and no doubly was stunned like her, although he didn't show signs of surprise at the fact that he was standing right in front of two Legendaries. "Let's see if we can bring them back to the clan, Shadow," he instead whispered to the Absol, eyes narrowed yet again with determination. "Perhaps they can help us."

Shadow the Absol slowly nodded before shaking away her expression of surprise and walking closer to Raikou, who he, as well as the others, stared at her silently. Taking a deep breath as if she was somewhat nervous, she then greeted, "I am Shadow." She turned her attention to the Luxray behind her, in which the eyes of the others followed in curiosity. "And that is Ulrik."

"We belong to a clan that lives in this forest," Ulrik the Luxray explained, walking closer until he was by Shadow's side. His expression suddenly turned into that of an embarrassed one. "Eh, sorry about scaring you all when I burst out of the bushes, but I had to make sure none of _them_ didn't find us."

Exchanging glances with Suicune, Mewtwo floated forward, arms crossed and tone now free of bewilderment. "Who is the 'them' you speak of?" Mewtwo asked, the others nodding in agreement to want to know the answer. Shadow sighed, while Ulrik only turned his head the other way, eyes dark with visible hatred.

"Rhyhorns," Shadow eventually answered, shooting a compassionate look towards Ulrik, who kept his head turned away. "Our clan is at war with a Rhyhorn clan over domination of food and other resources in this forest. Ulrik and I, since we're two of the many fighters of our clan, were sent out to search for any Rhyhorns that might have been surveying these grounds. If the coast was clear, then the food gatherers of our clan would be able to gather food in this area for the upcoming week."

"Every few days, a member of our clan is killed by a Rhyhorn," Ulrik suddenly spat viciously, causing Shadow to back off slightly. "We've been at war for them for far too long, but our fighters just aren't powerful enough. It won't be long before the Rhyhorns find some way to raid us and kill us altogether."

Shadow sighed again before continuing the explanation. "We were sort of hoping you guys, seeing as how you're Legendaries, would be able to help us with our battle against the Rhyhorn clan."

Raikou exchanged glances with Suicune, Mewtwo lowering his head in the act of pondering, while Jeff and Skyler remained quiet, waiting with worried faces for someone to emit a plausible solution. Eventually, though, as Mewtwo continued to ponder, Suicune shot a serious look towards Raikou, and he could tell that she was gesturing for him to explain _their_ case to Shadow and Ulrik, who, after a producing a sigh, did just that.

"The Legendaries are being captured?" Shadow replied as Raikou ended his tale, amazement gracing her tone as her eyes widened. Ulrik couldn't help but look surprised as well.

"Yes," Suicune cut in, moving closer to Ulrik and Shadow. "I'm technically the only one left, seeing as how Raikou has been exiled."

Mewtwo's eyes opened as he broke out of his thoughts, coming between Raikou and Ulrik, a serious expression crossing his cat-like face as he brought back the earlier topic. "What will we gain from helping you with the Rhyhorns?"

Shadow's face suddenly lit up as a new idea came to mind, and she quickly turned to Ulrik, whispering it slowly into the Pokemon's ear. His eyes brightened upon realizing that such an option existed, and as Shadow pulled away he approached Mewtwo, his strong voice following. "You are building an army to help free the Legendaries, correct?"

Mewtwo slowly nodded.

"We might be able to help," Ulrik then stated, eyes narrowed. "Come with us to our clan's base and talk to our leader. Perhaps we can work out some sort of arrangement."

The manmade Pokemon closed his eyes as he thought of the possibilities in performing such a task. His eyes slowly slid open a few seconds later, instantly turning them to Ulrik. "We will come with you," he muttered, convincing a look of relief to cover the Luxray's face. Raikou and Suicune shot their eyes towards Jeff and Skyler, who appeared uneasy about something among the agreement, although they decided not to say anything.

"Follow us," Ulrik ordered, turning the other way and beginning to make his way into the forest, Shadow not far behind. Mewtwo nodded once again before gesturing for the others to follow closely as they traced the Luxray's path into the towering trees.

"I got a bad feeling about this, dude," Jeff mumbled to Skyler, his nervous look more powerful than before. The Flygon sighed in agreement, which remained unnoticed by Raikou and Suicune as they all trailed behind Shadow and Ulrik.

-ooo-

Moaning and groaning coming from the corner of his cage caused Darkrai to snap his head up, his sea-green eyes immediately falling onto his counterpart, Cresselia, who shook her head awake, eyes droopy with aftermaths of grogginess. Ever so slowly she rose into a gentle float, her head darting around as she examined the unknown surroundings, her eyes filled with worry. They softened, however, when she came across the obsidian, ghost-like countenance of Darkrai.

With a sigh, Darkrai approached his counterpart, explaining the entire situation to her. It wasn't long after that before Entei, who had been sleeping in his own cage, awoke and greeted Cresselia.

"How long was I out?" Cresselia asked as she turned her lavender eyes away from Entei's.

Darkrai shrugged, his voice casual, as usual. "You've been unconscious since we were captured, and we have been here for quite some time, so I say about a day."

Cresselia's face suddenly darkened with worry. "How did this happen? What is Team Rocket planning to do?" She shot her saddened gaze towards Darkrai, who could feel his heart skip a beat when his eyes locked with hers.

"No doubt continue with the original idea of world domination," Entei stated from his cage, lying down once again in the middle of the cold iron flooring. "Even then, though," he quickly added with his eyes focused on the ground, "such an idea seems too – I don't know – _simple_ for them; definitely with this Terotrey guy who created those robotic Pokemon around." He returned his determined eyes to Darkrai and Cresselia. "I honestly believe that there's a more detailed intention within all of this."

The conversation was cut short when loud yelling was heard from behind the door into the room, the vicious snarls, which one voice Darkrai could recognize as Terotrey, sounding muffled but yet furious all the same.

"What do you mean we're missing two Legendaries?" Terotrey's voice roared.

"They somehow escaped from your robotic Pokemon, sir," a wimpy voice soon replied, and Darkrai figured it was nothing but a mere grunt of the organization.

"Well, who is it then?

"Raikou and Suicune, sir."

In unison, Darkrai, Suicune, and Entei's eyes widened, exchanging shocked looks between one another, but yet remaining silent.

"The completion of my final experiment depends on having _all _of the Legendaries, you fool!" Terotrey's voice hissed. "Send out extra units of robots; send out shore parties; send the whole damn organization for all I care. Just get those Legendaries here as fast as possible!"

With a frightened squeak, the tapping sounds of dissipating footsteps signaled the grunt's departure, while Terotrey left a few seconds after. Following this, Darkrai, Entei, and Cresselia let out their held breaths, immediately getting as close to one another as possible.

"Raikou and Suicune are still free?" Entei questioned, both surprise and relief leaking from his tone. Darkrai, despite that he wondered how they got off Newmoon Island when the robotic Pokemon had attacked, only nodded, happy that at least some hope was still out there somewhere. Cresselia, on the other hand, displayed looks of pure worry.

"Every one of those robotic Pokemon out there will be hunting for them," she whimpered, obviously on the borderline of breaking into tears. "And what is this 'final experiment' Terotrey was talking about?"

Entei remained silent, worried himself as he envied for answers.

Darkrai, however, couldn't help himself as he turned and wrapped his warm arms around his counterpart's neck, causing a faint blush to cover her cheeks as he then rested his head on top of hers. Regardless of this, he didn't blush himself or ponder on his feelings, but instead assured her in soft coos (which was very out of character for him), "We can only hope, Cresselia." He began to caress her cheek with his finger, which caused her blush to deepen. "But I'm sure Raikou and Suicune will be fine."

As if looking for his own guidance, Darkrai's eyes focused on the ceiling, his own worried expression beginning to dominate his face.

_Please be safe, kid_…

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

Whee, that was fun.

Terotrey's scheming something. :O

See you next chap!


	8. Strategy

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chapter!

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Strategy

* * *

**

-ooo-

"Dude…they're tree-huggers!"

Jeff and Skyler allowed their jaws to drop as they and the others emerged into a large clearing, the trees which surrounded the open field taller than the colossal ones before – some even blocking out the view of the exposed sun with their shrubs of luscious leaves. This was not what amazed them, though, as their widened eyes were transfixed to the trunks of the trees, which had wood buildings built out of them, the tree huts fit for some type of forest tribe connected through majorities of rope bridges and ladders. The said housing's architecture was phenomenal, as, even if they were quite large, just enough hard trunk was kept to the hosting trees where they still stood tall and firm, not wobbling an inch. Upon the wood city above, various Pokemon walked down the rope bridges, some entering the wood houses, others gathering fruit that was growing on the tree leaves right outside their doors.

"More like…tree-livers…" Skyler commented, Jeff too amazed by the civilization among the trees to pay attention to his words. Raikou and Suicune snapped their heads around, smiling as they admired the community, while Mewtwo himself even seemed impressed by the small town that was thriving above them. Shadow and Ulrik, on the other hand, kept poker faces as if they were used to such a stunning sight, and instead turned towards Raikou and the others, nodding to them slightly before pointing to a ladder that led up to one of the connecting rope bridges among the building woodcarvings.

Once they climbed up the ladder, Raikou and the others followed Shadow and Ulrik down the rope bridges, looking down at the forest ground below every now and then, while also trying to dodge any tree branches that hanged down over the bridge, their leaves wet with morning dew and smelling of freshness. As the bridge jiggled slightly to their movements, Pokemon who were passing by stared at them in amazement, but kept quiet as they performed their daily duties among their native tribe-like community.

Eventually, after passing tons of wood houses, Raikou and the others came across a large hut that had been built into the trunk of the largest tree they had seen yet. Torches flared by its entrance, marking the pathway in luminous red, bouncing off the professionally-carved walls like a growing light. The door into the elegant temple, however, was hidden beneath a long cloth that had been weaved from a sparkling substance, but Raikou and the others paid no heed to it as they stayed close behind Shadow and Ulrik, who stopped by the concealed entrance.

It remained silent, as if Shadow and Ulrik were waiting patiently for something, and Raikou was about to ask what when a strong, deep voice questioned from behind the barricading cloth: "Who goes there?"

Raikou and the others froze in place, eyes wandering between the determined faces of Shadow and Ulrik, and the cloth. Meanwhile, however, the said Luxray moved forward until he was right by the covered entrance. "I request to speak with our leader," he replied, tone serious, "I have brought allies to aid us in our war with the Rhyhorns."

A short grunt emitted from behind the cloth, although the being behind it then answered, "Very well. You may enter."

Ulrik nodded before shooting a serious look to the Pokemon behind him, signaling for them to follow him as he ducked his head low and walked into the entrance, the cloth door fluttering backwards from his movements. Raikou and the others exchanged looks before the said thunder tiger slowly followed the Luxray, his companions soon doing the same.

They emerged into a medium-sized room, an elegant carpet with Indian-like hieroglyphics sown into it greeting them at the entrance, running down the torch-lit room to the top, where a wood throne fit for some sort of chief sat between two metallic pedestals, flames blazing from the ashes on top of both. Various Pokemon that surrounded the throne – some holding tablets in their mouths and paws – turned around to stare wide-eyed at Raikou and the others, who only allowed their eyes to follow Ulrik and Shadow as the two said tribe Pokemon walked down the carpet, stopping in front of the throne. Immediately they bowed, their expressions more serious than before, although the Pokemon around them only turned to the throne, the very being who sat on it nodding at Ulrik and Shadow's respectful gesture with a soft smile upon his snout.

It was a Charizard, and an old one at that.

His flame blew slightly from the tip of his long tail, following the same dancing movements as the lit pedestals beside his throne, his head, which sported many wrinkles of age, covered in feathered garments. Rings made of what looked like copper covered his claws, a gold necklace with a shining sapphire jewel resting amongst its large pendant wrapped around his neck. His skin was darker than most Charizards – another proof of his long years on Earth.

With his eyes nearly closed – so much that his emerald eyes could only be seen as slits – he brought his sight to Raikou and the others, who remained nervous and amazed simultaneously, standing by the entrance into the chamber, afraid to move unless someone gestured them to do so. The Charizard's smile quickly contorted into a look of awe, his yellowish teeth exposing themselves in the midst of his slow jaw drop. Despite this, he quickly shook the expression of shock away, and instead weakly moved his claw upwards, Ulrik and Shadow nodding as they took it as a sign to bring Raikou and the others forward.

With more exchanged looks, Raikou led his companions down the carpet ever so slowly, trying their best not to make eye contact with the various Pokemon servants that surrounded the throne, who still stared in pure awe at their identities.

Ulrik and Shadow stepped to the side, allowing Raikou to come closer to the throne until he was standing only a few feet in front of it. The Charizard sighed, his facial wrinkles of age dispersing slightly as he straightened his posture among his throne.

"Legendaries…" he muttered, his tone strong, yet carrying the wise accent of the old. His voice barely reached over a whisper, although the Pokemon around him seem to take it as a sign to back off slightly, showing obvious respect to Raikou and the others. With a quick sway of his head, causing the jewelry around it to jingle slightly, his head garments dancing to his movements, the Charizard added, "In my life I thought I would not have the chance to meet the Gods of the world – the guardians of natural balance…" He turned his eyes downward. "Much less face them in person…"

Raikou, who was confused, slowly turned his eyes to his companions behind him, although he quickly snapped them to Ulrik when the Luxray walked forward and muttered, "They require our help, Chief Atsila."

Atsila the Charizard regained his serious expression, his eyes returning to Raikou. "The great guardians of natural balance require our help?" he then repeated, his tone still hard, yet implying surprise. Ulrik stepped forward to where he was right beside the tribe chief, whispering what was – no doubt – Raikou and the others' situation into the wise Pokemon's ear. Atsila nodded as Ulrik informed him of the problems that have happened, such as Raikou's exile and the capture of the other Legendaries.

"I see…" he murmured as Ulrik pulled away. His tail swished slightly as he brought his slit eyes onto Raikou once more, who fidgeted, somewhat nervous to be in front of the chief of the tribe, although the Charizard had a respectful, kind semblance radiating from him. Of course, the thunder tiger was just surprised that the chief wasn't taking the news as the capture of the Legendaries as shocking as most of the other Pokemon he had told.

Atsila stood up, the Pokemon around him twitching from his unexpected movement, despite that they kept back from their tribe leader all the same. The Charizard slowly moved forward until he was right in front of Raikou, his tail seeming to blaze brightly as a soft smile returned to his wrinkled snout. "Your past actions have decided your exiled fate, young guardian…" he mumbled, his tone soft, and Raikou only lowered his head, feeling foolish. Atsila closed his eyes, his smile still remaining. "However…these are times for renewal – for forgiveness. If mistakes were never put onto Mother Earth, the watchers of life would not know what is right and what is wrong, or what is guilt and what is healing."

The thunder tiger widened his eyes, his companions doing the same, all surprised by the chief's kind words. "T-thank you…" Raikou muttered, his tone barely above a breathless whisper, and Atsila only raised his claw, his smile strong.

"I should be the one bowing to you, great guardian of the planet…" Atsila commented. "Even if you're powers have been removed from your soul, you're good deeds will never be taken away from existence, and therefore forgiveness can still be thrust upon you…"

His expression suddenly turned serious, his tone reflecting the same emotion. "The other guardians have been captured, though. I should have suspected such a thing when I felt the sky cry more tears than usual, or the nature beyond our home shrivel and die even when life has been given to them…"

"Will you help us?" Mewtwo cut in, arms crossed. He seemed impatient or annoyed, although his firm tone implied his respectfulness towards the leader of the tribe.

Atsila turned his eyes to him, but slowly nodded. "Yes, I will give you my best warriors to help free the other Legendaries. The guardians of the planet have helped all life they created thrive for suns and moons to come, and now it is our turn to return the chance of existence…"

"And the Rhyhorns?"

The Charizard chief sighed again, his eyes darkening as his large wings wrapped around his torso, acting like a moveable cloak. "The Rhyhorns have been at war with us for quite some time, and despite how much I have tried to replenish the treaty of peace our clans used to share…" He closed his eyes, a saddened tone taking over his voice. "…in the midst of a past battle, their leader, Bouldarin, slew my wife."

Immediately Raikou and the others' expressions fell, depression and sympathy gracing their eyes.

"I cannot forgive them for what they have done…" Atsila continued, his voice now more serious as he turned his eyes up to Mewtwo. "I am not proud for having to ask for help in a fight my tribe should not be enduring, but the Rhyhorns have damaged us for far too long…"

Jeff and Skyler, who were sitting in the background, their worried looks from before returning as they caught the implication of Atsila's agreement to pledge war, slowly got up and snuck around Raikou as they stood in front of Atsila. The Charizard brought his eyes down to the Roselia and Flygon, as did Raikou and the others, and Jeff suddenly felt intimidated beneath the old dragon's serious glare.

"I…I…" the Roselia stuttered, the words he was going to say being barricaded by fear. Skyler nudged him slightly, though, and Jeff shook his fright away before sighing slowly and muttering, "Uh, old dude, yeah, uh, I see why you would think that it would be best to, like, kill the Rhyhorns for the sticky situation they put you in, but…" He exchanged another glance with Skyler. "You see, me and Skyler have been living in this here forest for, like, a few years, and in that whole time we have seen a lot of tribes who reside here maul each other to death, and all mostly because of misunderstandings…"

Atsila quirked his eyebrow, his expressions till serious. "What are you trying to tell us, young ones?" he inquired with a friendly tone that didn't match his angered semblance.

"We're just thinking that maybe you should investigate the situation further, mate," Skyler finished for his Roselia friend, his voice much more firm than Jeff's. "It sounds like you only know that the Rhyhorns have been killing your clan members, but even then you might be rushing into this a little too fast…

"So what we're trying to say is that you should start preparing for war, mate, but we also think you should send a negotiator to possibly work this out with words other than violence. Who knows, this might be a big misunderstanding like all the ones we've seen before…"

"The deaths of our tribe members cannot be taken back," Atsila muttered, obviously trying to keep his voice calm.

Jeff slowly nodded. "We know, dude, but…well, more deaths will come if your clans fight each other until there's none of you left."

Skyler agreed. "It's worth a try, mate."

Atsila grunted, turning his eyes to Raikou, who quickly shrugged, as did Suicune, while Mewtwo narrowed his eyes, either despising the plan, or just in denial to refuse that it was actually a good idea. The Pokemon surrounding them broke out into whispering debates, Shadow and Ulrik exchanging looks although they seemed supportive of the suggestion. Despite this, it was obvious all of the present clan members were trying their best to push aside their anger for the Rhyhorn clan and agree with the plan.

"I don't think those _wretched_ beings deserve even a chance of forgiveness," a tone fit for an arrogant person spat from behind Raikou, and they all turned their eyes to the back, watching the Charmeleon that had emerged into the chamber with slight bewilderment. His expression defined pure hatred, his tail fire burning brightly alongside his exposed anger, and his emerald eyes carried a piercing hue as the flames from the torches around him reflected off his narrowed slits.

Atsila sighed again, seeming disappointed. "Flame…my son…" he then mumbled as the Charmeleon walked towards his designated father, apparently not surprised by the presence of Legendaries in the room.

"They killed my mother, _father_," Flame snarled in a hissing format. "They killed your _wife_, as well as many other loved ones from this clan. I can't believe you would actually consider a negotiation with those…those…_murderers_."

Shadow the Absol displayed compassion amongst her scarlet eyes as she eyed the chief's son, her sympathetic look going unnoticed by the angered Charmeleon, and she eventually muttered, "Oh Flame…" to herself. Ulrik shot his own look of compassion towards Shadow as he watched her bow her head in sadness, as he knew that she cared for the heir of the tribe's throne…

…a lot.

"But these young ones are right, my son," Atsila replied to Flame's scoff, his eyes turning soft. "More deaths will be caused if we head straight into war…and if we still carry the ability to prevent such obvious tragedy, then I believe we should take it despite…"

Flame grunted to himself, crossing his arms, emerald eyes burning.

Atsila returned his eyes to Raikou and the others. "I will make my final decision tonight. Until then, though…please make yourselves at home among the tribe. I am sure that if we were to go into battle you would fight by our side?"

Mewtwo nodded, as did Suicune and Raikou, although Jeff and Skyler seemed to cringe every time such a thing was mentioned.

"Good," the Charizard chief mumbled. "We are grateful for your support. And if all goes well we will happily return it."

Flame, all in the while, only rolled his eyes, his snarl strong as he suddenly stomped off towards the door, shooting a look of hatred towards his father before leaving. Shadow stepped forward as if to follow him, but Ulrik held her back, shaking his head to signify that the heir to the throne needed to be left alone.

"We will return here in the morning to hear of your decision, Chief Atsila," Mewtwo commented with a bow, the others doing the same. The chief nodded, and with that Raikou and the others left the chamber, new thoughts running through their heads.

-ooo-

"Do…do you think Raikou and Suicune are okay?"

Darkrai blinked, turning his eyes over to Cresselia, who was shivering in the corner of the cage. The room was dark, as the overhead lights had been turned off, although the ones from the hallway outside leaked light through the small window that was on the room's metallic door. Entei was sleeping quietly in his cage, curled up into a ball, oblivious to Cresselia and Darkrai's whispering.

"Of course…" he replied quietly, floating closer to his counterpart, his tone abnormally soft and assuring. "The kid may be a retard sometimes, but I know he can be strong when he wants to be…"

Cresselia slowly nodded, ignoring Darkrai's insult to the young thunder tiger she adored as if he was her little nephew, and instead turned her darkened eyes away as she lowered herself to the ground. "Do you think they'll be able to save us?" she then asked, eyeing Darkrai out of the corner of her tired eye.

The nightmare Legendary sighed. "Yeah," he whispered. "They'll save us…I know it."

If Cresselia wasn't so tired, she would've noticed the hint of nervousness that had graced her counterpart's tone. "But…" she began, her voice dragging with despondency. "Terotrey has successfully captured all of the Legendaries, even Arceus…what does that say about him?"

"That he's a _monster_," Darkrai spat, clenching his claws, somewhat mad at the fact that Cresselia was implying that the said silver-haired scientist might have won. "He captured us using tricks and his stupid robotic minions…" He softened his tone. "I'm sure Raikou and Suicune will be able to surpass them, one way or another."

Cresselia turned her eyes to him. "How can you be so sure?"

Darkrai sighed once more. "Hope."

"Hope?"

He slowly began to move closer to his counterpart until he landed right beside her, his sea-green eyes, which practically glowed in the darkness surrounding them, focused on the ground. "Sometimes hope is all one can have…even us Legendaries need it sometimes." He turned his eyes to her, and Cresselia gaped her mouth slightly in amazement, recalling never seeing her counterpart so…breathtaking. "I'm not afraid to admit that hope is the strategy I use to get through," he then added, taking his eyes off of her to return them to the ground as she turned her head away to ponder.

Cresselia eventually turned her head back around when she felt something soft touch her side, and she lowered her eyes to notice that Darkrai had fallen asleep, resting his head on the spot of metallic skin right next to her wing. She slowly smiled, lowering her head to lay it on top of his, closing her eyes in the wake.

_Even Legendaries need hope sometimes..._

-ooo-

"Define…'disappeared'…"

The Rocket grunt behind Terotrey Horrifiance rubbed the back of his neck nervously as those hissing words escaped from the scientist's mouth, his eyes narrowed, glowing in the dark of the monitor room that displayed the views of the surveillance cameras within each Legendary holding cell.

"We can't find Raikou and Suicune anywhere," the grunt muttered. "If they're out there somewhere it's taking the robotic Pokemon a long time to catch up with them."

Terotrey snarled to himself, bringing his hand up to brush a bang from his face, obviously trying to hold in his anger.

"Not to mention there's been some sort of mysterious force taking out any scouting robotic Pokemon that reach Sinnoh…" the grunt added. "We don't know what it is, but it seems to be putting on a good fight – I wouldn't be surprised if its powers reach that of a Legendary's, although it can't be a Legendary because the robots can't track it..."

Terotrey hummed to himself, his anger being replaced with bewilderment, although his stern expression remained strong.

"Keep a closer eye out for it," he eventually muttered to the grunt, still not turning to face him. "Try to locate a distance range where it scouts for my robots, then we'll move on from there…"

The grunt nodded, somewhat relieved that he wasn't getting scowled at like before. "Yes, sir!" With a salute he then turned and exited the dark room, shutting the door behind him.

The silver-haired scientist remained still in place, however, his arms crossed, narrowed eyes displaying determination as he glanced at the screen that was displaying the view from Arceus' cell. The God Pokemon had brackets tied to his hooves and was on top of a large pedestal-like machine, which developed a blue, energy-sapping sphere to form around him. Arceus twitched slightly every now and then, although the immense power his containment absorbed from him took away his ability to awake from his unconsciousness.

"You Legendaries do not deserve the power over life's balance," Terotrey hissed to himself as his eyes focused on Arceus. "Things will change…things will change for the good…

"…when the rules over natural balance are _mine_ to decide…"

-ooo-

**

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

**

Woah, well, it looks like we got another Pokemon who's super powerful but isn't a Legendary. Can you guess who it is?

Anyway, apart from that, I chose to name the Charizard cheif of the tribe: "Atsila" because it's supposed to be Cherokee for "fire".

Anyway, see you later!


	9. Preparation

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chapter!

Anyway, enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Preparation

* * *

**

-ooo-

"It's the demon – get her!"

Rhyhorns thrashed through the forest shrubs, trampling across the ground as they pushed themselves to follow the shadowed form that swept across the tree branches above, obviously desperate to escape the rock Pokemon that chased after her from below. She was fatigued from the fighting she had done earlier that day, and now she knew she couldn't stay afloat for long, predicting that in only a few minutes flat she would be sent sprawling towards the ground from tiredness, and be picked up by the Rhyhorn clan that had misunderstood her to be an enemy.

Instead she forced herself forward with all she could, not wanting to turn to violence in order to escape from the Rhyhorns. She knew for one thing that she wasn't bad, only using her powers to stop the metallic Pokemon who had been forcing themselves into the region of Sinnoh for obvious destructive purposes. She was trying to find out where they had come from, although in the midst of it the Rhyhorn clan below had learned of them, automatically assuming that she was the one spawning them for evil intentions.

Due to the fact that they were spiritual, they assumed she was a demon from the bowels of the Underworld, seeing as how they hadn't seen her species anywhere else among the land they walked upon. In reality her species were spread throughout outer space, and she was the only one among her race to reach down to Earth when she had realized that trouble seemed to lurk upon it.

Of course, she regretted ever doing such a thing now…

"Can't you see I'm trying to help you?" she called out as she landed on a firm branch, sighing slightly, eyes narrowed with determination when she spotted the Rhyhorns surround the hosting tree. Her head darted around, her telepathic voice, which came out into the open rather than through the minds she wanted to make contact with, now emitting small growls of anger. The rock Pokemon below seemed to ignore her words, sticking with their own observations without even hearing one sentence of her alibi, their judgmental personalities showing through the sheer fact that her unique shape made them classify her as a demonic being almost instantly.

The tree started to shake, bringing her eyes to widen as she noticed that the Rhyhorns, their serious expressions not changing an inch, began to ram into its trunk, causing the leaves above to vibrate as if an earthquake was occurring. She struggled, desperate to hold back from giving in and defending herself with her psychic abilities, continuously telling her retorting thoughts that the Rhyhorn clan's stupidity was not something worth harming them over.

Then again…they were trying to kill her.

She eventually flew into the air, lingering fatigue making herself incapable of going any higher than past the canopying trees' leaves, and with no other options she slowly lowered to the ground, immediately rolling forward to take hidden refuge behind a log. She could feel the ground shake as the Rhyhorns approached, deep, booming voices asking one another where she was, while others continued to call her vile names under their breaths.

She stayed silent, slowly turning her head to allow her eyes to peer over the moss-covered edge of the log, slowly shifting her sight over the long line of Rhyhorns that were only a few feet away, oblivious of her short distance from them. With an uneasy, exhausted sigh she lowered herself again behind the log, tense, afraid to make movements beyond from her leaning position.

"Did the demon escape?" a loud voice more deep than the others called from the shrubs in front of the Rhyhorns. A tone of anger covered the owner's voice, although it was more in want for the current status report than anything else. Displaying slight interest she slowly rose her eyes over her log barricade once again, keenly eyeing the Rhydon that had emerged from behind the trees, his narrowed orb gazing upon the group of Rhyhorns in which he seemed to be the leader of. The only obvious downfall to him, she noticed, was the fact that a white bandage covered his left eye, most likely signifying that he had lost it in some sort of conflict a while ago.

The Rhyhorn closest to him stepped forward, his voice quiet like the cold air of the night that surrounded them. "Yes, Lord Bouldarin, the demon has got away."

The Rhydon, Bouldarin, snarled, although his anger didn't seem to be directed towards his clan members. The darkness of the dying day enshrouded the forest, the moon's silvery light shining across the ground in only some places since the canopying trees blocked most of it out, colliding with the visible obsidian that graced the area like temporary paint. She, all in the while, remained silent, mentally debating with herself if she should try to sneak out while the Rhyhorn clan was talking. However, she knew that a simple crack of a small twig would bring their senses to her, pretty much marking her capture right then and there. If she stayed in her current spot the same risks were still an issue.

No matter what way she went she was in serious trouble.

"Atsila summoned the demon to curse those robotic beasts among us," she could hear Bouldarin snarl to his comrades, and she didn't bother to ponder on who 'Atsila' was. She was very tempted to peak her head up and tell them for the fiftieth time that she had been actually trying to protect the area from the strange said robotic Pokemon, although she knew that such an attempt as retorting against a vicious Rhydon would be more harmful than helpful.

"Our brothering clans," Bouldarin told the others as if he was making a quiet speech, "from across the land have suffered from the chimerical beasts of metal, and I know that Atsila is the one to blame for this!"

The Rhyhorns roared in agreement.

"He must pay!" the Rhydon hissed. "Our clans have been at war since one of his metallic monsters killed my son! We will attack – we will avenge my son's death!"

His clan roared again, and she could feel herself shiver slightly. Bouldarin was blaming this 'Atsila' and his clan for the robotic Pokemon that had been appearing lately? From what she observed of them so far the robotic Pokemon were far too advanced to be created from the claws of naturals, and she couldn't shake the weird feeling that a higher organization was behind this.

Nonetheless, she knew that Bouldarin was blaming Atsila for supposedly summoning her, and she was apparently the demon behind spawning the murdering robotic Pokemon. It was facts like these where she despised being unique among the organisms on Earth, but she knew she couldn't leave without answers to the origins behind the abnormal robotic Pokemon. Her curiosity was getting the better of her –

"It's the demon!"

She cringed, snapping her head around to come in eye contact with a Rhyhorn that had stepped around the log, and was now staring wide-eyed at her. Immediately coldness enshrouded her muscles as she felt Bouldarin snarl, "Catch her then!"

With tired, aching muscles, she struggled to return to her feet, breaking out into a run as she tried to escape from the Rhyhorn clan that was chasing her, Bouldarin leading the waves of rock troops across the forest grounds in the exact same path she was trekking. With another snarl she turned to the left, her stomach burning as she felt her leg muscles begin to give out, weakening from exhaustion. She strove herself to keep them working until at least she was out of the Rhyhorns' eyesight again.

However, they seemed even more determined than before to catch her, which they showed through the fact that their stomps followed only a few feet behind her.

The hanging leaves of the surrounding trees slapped across her face as she practically pushed herself through the nature, despite that soon, gasping for air, her muscles stinging entirely, she collapsed onto the forest floor, her eyesight becoming foggy. By the way the stomps around her grew louder and stronger, and the way a rugged, stone-colored form stepped in front of her, she knew that Bouldarin was staring down upon her with anger.

She eventually felt Rhyhorns lift her up onto their spiky backs, all in the while of Bouldarin muttering, "Take her to the haven and keep her imprisoned."

Before she knew the slight breezes of slow movement graced her face as she felt the Rhyhorns who were carrying her begin to stomp towards the designated location. She wanted to fight back; she didn't want to be punished for a crime she wasn't even committing.

But Deoxys couldn't do anything as tiredness deluged her muscles, her last drops of energy depleting…

…as well as her consciousness.

-ooo-

Morning soon took over the sky, dubbing the overhead atmosphere a bright blue as albino clouds slid across its surface, the sun sending its golden rays of light upon them like a godly eye. The land below also awoke alongside the day, glowing bright with life as the loner inhabitants of the forest walked out of their various havens and stretched out their cramped limbs. With sighs of freshness they then ran off to start their daily routines of the day.

The same went for Atsila's clan, who greeted each other warmly before the females of the group tended to the town infants, others venturing into the fields to pick fruits from the outside trees. The 'hierarchy' members of the town quickly made their way to the chieftain's wooden temple, their quickened steps causing the bridges they crossed to shake vigorously as they rushed towards the said location.

Already within the torch-lit room sat Atsila the Charizard, while Raikou, Suicune, Mewtwo, and Jeff and Skyler stood beside him, feasting upon the large array of fruits that had been placed on the table in front of them. The chieftain of the tribe smiled warmly as he kindly offered a piece of his fruit to Ulrik, who was sitting on the opposite side of the Charizard's throne, his narrowed eyes observing the Pokemon that entered the temple rather than focusing on the meal in front of him. Shadow, who was sitting in the corner, remained silent, lingering worries of Atsila's son, Flame, occupying her mind.

"Have you come to a decision yet, Chief Atsila?" Mewtwo asked from the far side of the table's left end, sticking a small piece of fruit into his mouth in a civilized manner, while Jeff and Skyler, who were next to him, were stuffing their face with the delicious juice, causing even Raikou to stare at them in bewildered awe.

The wise Charizard nodded, adjusting the feathered garments that covered his horns. "Yes, I have decided that we will go with Jeff's idea and send a Pokemon to negotiate with the Rhyhorns." He popped a piece of fruit into his mouth. "We will do it when the sun touches the horizon in the act of preparing for sleep."

"I guess that's Indian for 'sunset'…" Jeff whispered into Skyler's ear, who, for some reason, chuckled slightly.

Raikou, who was right by Atsila's throne, slowly muttered to the chieftain, "Don't mind me asking…but how did your wife…um." He lowered his eyes in the act of pondering for the right words. "You know..." He appeared afraid to finish the question.

Atsila sighed, catching the implication of what Raikou was asking. "A while ago…" he began, his voice loud, which brought the silent attention of not only Raikou but the others around them. "…Bouldarin's clan and mine used to live in peace. We shared food and territory, and traded with one another for whatever supplies the other had to offer.

"Eventually, though, something happened. I am not quite sure what, but when my wife, Scalene, went out to explore the forest, she never came back. I spent days searching for her, and eventually ran into Bouldarin, who revealed that he had killed my wife, and muttered that he only wanted to return the favor. I was shocked, and before I knew it our clans no longer shared, but instead fought over the resources of the forest."

Raikou frowned in bewilderment. "What did Bouldarin mean that he was just 'returning the favor'?"

"I do not know, Raikou," Atsila murmured, sadness gracing his tone. "He still slew my beautiful wife, though, and therefore up to now I wanted to avenge her." He turned his nearly-closed eyes to Jeff, who had returned to eating quite vigorously. "I know that your friend is right, though, that I should not thrust my clan into a mess that involves only my sorrow, despite that the Rhyhorns have taken quite a few loved ones from our town ever since the death of my wife."

He returned his eyes to Raikou, his tone softening. "I have agreed to negotiation, and hopefully Bouldarin will do the same, although I will never forgive him for what he did…"

The thunder tiger nodded, understanding completely, feeling sympathy for the old chieftain, despite that he agreed that solving the conflict among the clans with words would be better than doing it with violence. He couldn't help but wonder what would convince Bouldarin to kill Atsila's wife and start a whole war, definitely when the said Rhydon had been described by the Charizard chieftain to be usually kind and honorable.

"Who are you going to send to negotiate?" Suicune cut in from beside Raikou, who turned to look at her before nodding slightly and returning his eyes to the Charizard. Mewtwo, Jeff, and Skyler seemed to do the same, like Ulrik, who shifted his eyes towards Atsila, as did Shadow out of obvious curiosity. The Charizard didn't seem to mind the sudden gain of attention, and only adjusted his sitting position among his throne as he stretched out his long neck.

"We all know that Bouldarin is the act-before-you-think type," Atsila replied, tone firm, "therefore I doubt that any normal Pokemon we send out to negotiate is going to come back alive.

"However, every clan in this forest respects the Legendaries. If Suicune and Raikou go, then Bouldarin will force himself to heed of their words about my tribe, and since they're one of the creators of the world he might be influenced to resign the peace treaty if they command him to do so."

Raikou and Suicune nodded, agreeing with Atsila's statement. Mewtwo crossed his arms, somewhat contemplating if he should go, although he knew he would probably spark fright within the Rhyhorn clan because he was a Pokemon whose species was unknown to most, definitely since he was the only one of his kind. Atsila had recognized his similarities with the goddess Legendary, Mew, and therefore the Charizard quickly assumed that he was friend. Despite this, Bouldarin sounded like he wouldn't be the type to give in so easily…

"Mewtwo," Atsila called, earning the manmade Pokemon's attention. "I know what you are thinking – that Bouldarin will consider you an off-worldly being because your species does not go on past yourself. It will probably be good for you to go anyway, but stay out of sight, only coming out if danger is to occur."

Mewtwo nodded.

Jeff and Skyler exchanged glances, and the Roselia eventually muttered out, "Uh…what about us?"

Atsila chuckled slightly, his eyes turning soft as he gazed upon them. "Why, you can go, too, young ones, but it will probably be best if you stay out of sight, so hide with Mewtwo."

The Roselia and Flygon grinned as their own sign of approval, while Mewtwo was very tempted to bang his head against the wall out of misery.

-ooo-

Raikou slowly breathed in, taking in the cool air of the day as he sat on the balcony right outside Atsila's temple, which granted him a clean view of the peaceful sky above. He was somewhat worried for his and the others' safety, constantly wondering if they were going to be all right during the negotiation, definitely since they were going to travel to the Rhyhorn clan's haven to talk with them in person. He also couldn't help but continue to wonder about Bouldarin's possible reason behind killing Atsila's wife, Scalene.

Suicune soon emerged from the cloth that hid the entrance into Atsila's temple, escaping the deep conversation Mewtwo and the others (excluding Raikou) had begun with the Charizard chieftain, and enjoying the quiet time that the outside gave her. She watched in interest as the Pokemon of the clan tended to their daily duties among the tribe, some carrying food into their wooden homes, others repairing damages to the rope bridges and ladders that served as the townspeople's way to get around.

Turning her eyes to the side, she slightly widened them when she spotted Raikou sitting on the edge of a platform that had been carved out of the tree beside Atsila's haven to serve as a balcony of the sort. She cocked her head before slowly making her way to her counterpart, smiling when he turned his head to eye her softly, and she soon walked closer and sat beside him.

"What's on your mind?" she asked in a quiet tone, and Raikou turned his eyes downward, his expression darkening with slight seriousness, although his worried orbs seem to conflict with it.

"I've just been thinking that…" He paused for a moment, as if mentally debating if he wanted to continue with his sentence or not. "…well, if the maker behind these robotic Pokemon were able to captures the Legendaries, then what does that say for a now-normal Pokemon like me? Am I even capable of accomplishing such a task as saving the beings who control natural balance?"

Suicune hummed to herself, focusing her eyes on the sky above as if looking for guidance, or was simply lost in thought. "You know what Darkrai used to always tell me?" she eventually mumbled out, her eyes still glued to the atmospheric ocean above.

"Always scratch before you sniff?"

Suicune snapped her eyes to him, but not before rolling them playfully and nudging him slightly in the foreleg, which he grinned like an immature child. She couldn't help but love his stupidity at times, although she was aware that he was just joking to ease up the mood.

"No," she then replied, and she slowly shifted her eyes to him, which the serious, yet assuring glow that radiated from them seemed to convince him to cease his joking antics. With a sigh she added the correct answer, "It doesn't always take a Legendary to be a hero, Raikou." She turned her loving eyes to him, and he slightly gaped his mouth at her words, blushing slightly when she placed her paw on his. "But it does take a hero to be a Legendary, and any Pokemon who's not afraid to accomplish what has been placed in front of him will be a hero no matter what is said."

Raikou smiled slightly, comforted by her words. Without warning he leaned in and brought her into a nuzzle, which convinced her to scoot closer to him until they were able to rest their heads on top of each other's.

-ooo-

Terotrey Horrifiance brought his maroon-colored eyes to the Rocket grunt in front of him, awaiting for the current field report, which the grunt held in paper form in his gloved hand, his eyes scanning it, searching for the most relevant information. The darkness of Terotrey's office engulfed him and the grunt in ebony, although small lamps that sat upon the tables in the room radiated with light, appearing as orbs of gold within the sea of black.

The scientist leaned against his desk, becoming impatient as the grunt stumbled over his words, nervousness leaking from him. It seemed that everyone in the organization was more afraid of Terotrey than Giovanni Rocket himself. Of course, Terotrey didn't mind this since he thought intimidation was one of the best ways to get what you want, although the way the grunts around the building always squeaked in fear whenever he walked passed them started to get annoying after a while.

"Get on with it," Terotrey ordered in a calm tone, and the grunt jumped slightly before quickening his reading speed. The silver-haired scientist shook his head in disappointment, although he quickly rose it when the grunt began to speak.

"Our sources have finally located the main distance range of the mysterious Pokemon who's been attacking the robots in Sinnoh." With a shift of weight between his shoulders, the grunt continued. "We have pinpointed its exact location, which is now some sort of cave within a forest at the northeastern part of the region by the coast. And…"

"And?"

The grunt cleared his throat. "The robots seemed to be attracted to that area, and when we looked into this some more we discovered that there are power waves similar to a Legendary radiating from somewhere in the forest."

Terotrey's eyes widened, and somehow he knew exactly that the said power waves belonged to the Legendaries he had been searching for – Raikou and Suicune.

"Commands, sir?" the grunt asked.

Terotrey shook his shock away, and instead quickly replied, "Get a helicopter to take a squad over there and recover the strange Pokemon -"

"Right away, sir!"

" – and make sure there's enough room on it for me."

The grunt quirked his eyebrow, his hand only a few centimeters away from the door knob since he had been in the act of leaving. However, he only turned his head to eye Terotrey, who was approaching him with his expression more stern than before.

"If those power waves belong to who I think they belong," the silver-haired scientist began to explain, "then I want to be there to ensure the capture of them."

The grunt quickly nodded before leaving, and Terotrey only turned to face his desk, his hands behind his back, eyes remaining narrowed.

"Raikou and Suicune…you're not escaping from me this time."

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

Deoxys! 8D

-hugs-

Terotrey's on his way to ruin everybody's fun. Yay...


	10. Alibi

Hey peoples!

Woah, well, here's the next chapter. Originally this was going to be the whole negotiation, but it wound up getting too long so I had to break it off at some point. The first part, which is this, is 'Alibi', while the next part will be 'Encounter'.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon, nor do I own CSI.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Alibi**

* * *

-ooo-

Nature brushed against Raikou and Suicune's faces as they slowly walked through the shrubs of the encompassing forest, eyes narrowed with determination to find the Rhyhorn clan's cave in the mesh of plants, moss, and hard bark. They had left Atsila's tribe not too long ago as the sun made its decent down towards the mountains on the horizon, the day seeming to die alongside it and therefore change into a hue of venomous purple that was slowly fading into black. The albino clouds that used to sail on it had vanished, their slow travel across the sky and to the mountains that towered over the region ending right before the sun had reached the middle of the blue atmosphere. A ghostly image of the moon could already be seen through the veil of deep colors, slowly brightening as the sky darkened.

The exile and the Legendary didn't seem to mind this, however, remaining silent as their ears remained open for any signs of a Rhyhorn in the sense of hearing. Their noses were distracted by the strong varieties of flowers that decked the trees' hanging leaves, a mixture of soothing scents meshing together with the putrid ones of the dying plants that weren't meant to be smelled. Of course, the exile and Legendary were too busy keenly searching for the Rhyhorn den that they did not pay any attention to the life around them, such as the nightly calls of the forest's nocturnal Pokemon, to how soft the ground's moss became to where their paws practically sank into the brown and green floor.

Meanwhile, as silence dominated both Raikou and Suicune, not too far behind them walked Mewtwo, Jeff, and Skyler, who followed the same silent time nonetheless, although Jeff couldn't help but snicker into his Flygon friend's ear and bring the desert dragon to emit giggles. The manmade Pokemon that was Mewtwo turned his head to them every so often as his feet lightly pressed against the mossy ground to bring his body forward, and with narrowed eyes only shook his head in disappointment, mentally convincing himself that they were no doubt gossiping about him in some way or manner. To save himself from having to retort against dumb remarks, the feline-like Pokemon kept his murderous thoughts in his mind.

The forest soon grew dark alongside the day, the cries of the nocturnal Pokemon seem to cease, which was odd although Raikou and Suicune figured they were now out hunting. The grounds of the jungle of trees felt dead, as the mossy flooring remained without indents of movement, and shrubs failed to shake vigorously since no creatures scurried into them. Raikou felt his courage slip slightly as the grounds gained attributes similar to a cheesy horror film. Suicune, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes towards her counterpart's fear, and only nudged him comfortingly before bringing him back on the path.

"Where did Atsila say the Rhyhorns were?" Raikou managed to mutter out as he shook himself free of his chills. He snapped his head around, allowing his eyes to survey the forest's deserted areas that seemed to be engulfed in darkness. The only source for light now as the sun dipped below the mountains was the moon, which had grown quite bright, appearing as a silver medallion amongst the obsidian sky.

Suicune stopped in movement, and since she was walking in front of Raikou, turned her head to the side to eye him out of the corner of her eye. Her scarlet orbs turned downward as she pondered her mind for the answer, and slowly brought them back up to meet her counterpart's when she came up with a conclusion. "He said their cave is by the tallest tree in the forest," she answered, quirking her eyebrow while doing so.

Raikou frowned. "There's a lot of tall trees out here…"

All Suicune did was shrug, her eyes displaying hopelessness and also some pity for their predicament.

A few feet behind them sat Mewtwo, who was staring in the sky, obviously lost in thought. He knew of the directions Atsila had told them, but was even then confused himself on how to follow them. Jeff and Skyler, on the other hand, seemed determine to find the cave and therefore the Roselia hopped on his Flygon friend's head before the desert dragon slowly rose into the air using his diamond-shaped wings. Eventually Skyler flew high enough into the mesh of tree leaves for Jeff to raise his head and poke through the walls of green from the canopying ones, giving him an overhead view of the forest. Eventually they lowered to the ground.

"Just beyond those shrubs in front of you, dudes!" Jeff called out to Raikou and Suicune, who turned to eye him before nodding and following his suggestion. Mewtwo slightly growled to himself as Jeff and Skyler grinned like children to him, obviously mentally boasting about their usefulness among the mission. The manmade Pokemon could swear he felt slightly jealous, but quietly cursed himself for being so immature because of it.

As Jeff and Skyler continued their far walk behind Raikou and Suicune, Mewtwo quickening his pace to catch up, the said thunder tiger and water dog nodded to each other before slowly walking through the shrubs that blocked out their view of the area ahead.

They gasped slightly as they emerged into a large clearing, a small mountain rising from the grassy grounds in the middle of the mile-long field, rocks that were indented deep into the ground spread out everywhere. The night sky was visible, the moon settling right in the center of it, its silvery light bouncing off the stone hill, and the cracks and crevasses among it brought shadows to collide with the light. At the bottom of the hill, seeming to be buried into its stone and dirt flesh, was a large opening, engulfed in darkness and seeming to lead downward like an underground tunnel. Raikou and Suicune couldn't help but wonder on why it seemed so dead around the area, silence and isolation giving the cave a creepy semblance.

Nonetheless, Raikou and Suicune were positive that that was the Rhyhorn clan's haven.

Exchanging looks as Jeff, Skyler, and Mewtwo came up from behind them, widening their own eyes slightly at the view of the 'lonely' hill amongst the field of grass and large rocks, Raikou and Suicune nodded as they began their trek into the open and towards the cave.

-ooo-

"Dude…this is creepy."

Jeff's eyes slowly examined the ceiling of the cave after he and the others had entered. The entrance into it had indeed gone downward like a lowering tunnel into the underground, and had now opened up into cathedral-sized rooms that sported hanging stalactites and rising stalagmites, each dripping with fresh, icy water. Puddles formed upon the cold ground, ripples sprawling across their surfaces as vibrations of passing movements reached them, reflecting the bewildered faces of Raikou and Suicune, along with Jeff, Skyler, and Mewtwo as they all made their way through the deserted caverns.

The stone walls of the series of tunnels were bright, as if a lingering Flash attack had been used not too long ago, bringing light to rest upon the area. Despite this, the nooks and crannies of the caverns remained dark with shadows, including the ceilings of the rooms when they were yards in height. Due to the lack of openings, stray wind failed to cause wails to echo throughout the caverns, and therefore the rooms remained dead silent unless one's voice spoke and sent their tone to repeat as it traveled across the cave's vast spaces.

"It's so…deserted," Raikou mumbled to Suicune, confusion gracing his voice as he traveled his eyes up the walls and to the overhead, stalactite-covered ceilings. Every time he did this he felt overwhelmed for some reason, threatening to fall backwards onto his side because of it. Meanwhile, Suicune kept her eyes forward, keeping them narrowed as suspicion grew inside of her, Mewtwo remained silent, allowing his own slit eyes to wander, as Jeff and Skyler stayed close behind, appearing somewhat frightened by both the breathtaking sizes of the rooms and the loneliness that occupied them.

Eventually Suicune sighed, her forelegs and hind legs aching slightly from all of the walking they had done. She turned her eyes to her counterpart, who was staring at her, obviously searching for guidance. With a sigh, she replied, "I'm wondering where everyone is -"

Suddenly her head snapped forward, her eyes narrowing once again as if she had spotted something amongst the miles of ground ahead. The others froze, waiting for her to explain what had caused her to jolt slightly.

"Do you hear that?" she asked quietly, not turning her head to face the others. Mewtwo exchanged looks with Raikou, while Jeff and Skyler had already closed their eyes, trying to focus on any intruding, distant sounds that Suicune was possibly referencing to. Slowly the exile and manmade Pokemon did the same.

It was faint, as if the creator was quite far away. It sounded like some sort of cheer, and as Raikou focused on it more he noticed the quantity of tones that made up the cries fit for an audience at a contest or Pokemon tournament. He clenched his paws as he tried to focus on it, trying to conclude what it was.

"It sounds like cheering…" Mewtwo muttered from the back, and Raikou flashed his eyes open, noticing that Suicune had opened hers a while ago.

"It's coming from over there," she then replied, pointing her paw towards a cavern opening that sat a few yards ahead. Immediately she took off for it, as did Raikou, while Mewtwo, Jeff, and Skyler followed somewhat-far behind in the shadows in case an unexpected Rhyhorn was to jump out and meet them.

Eventually the exile and Legendary made it to the entrance into the cavern, which opened up into a large room that carried a pit similar to an old Roman-style coliseum. Layers of smooth stone served as the seats for the audience, the deep pit in the middle made for whatever creature or event that was entertaining. In the top of the room, somewhat overlooking the coliseum was a throne carved from the rock, obviously for seating the leader of the clan.

Ironically, Rhyhorns covered the audience seats, standing side-by-side with each other on the layers of smooth rock. Amongst the throne sat a Rhydon with an amused expression on his snout, a white bandage covering his left eye. Raikou and Suicune could automatically tell that the said evolution of Rhyhorn was none other than Bouldarin himself.

The exile and Legendary were about to rush forward, making their presence known to the inhabitants inside the stone coliseum, but stopped instantly when they realized that there was something in the pit of the room.

A cage.

Narrowing their eyes, trying to avoid losing focus over the snarls of cheer that radiated from the vast amount of Rhyhorns in the room, they noticed that there was a humanoid whose body resembled a DNA string inside of the cage, its human-like hands wrapped around the iron bars, obviously feeling hatred towards the stone Pokemon around it, while envying to be released. Raikou and Suicune knew that it wasn't human, but it was definitely a creature they hadn't seen before.

Meanwhile, Mewtwo slowly peered over the corner that opened up into the coliseum room, displaying slight shock like Raikou and Suicune as he noticed the caged humanoid being in the pit center of the room as well. He blinked, his mouth opening in slight awe, which such an expression fit for a stunned man looking upon a beautiful goddess crossed his feline face.

That is, until he realized this and silently smacked himself in the forehead, scolding his thoughts simultaneously.

Jeff and Skyler slowly came up from behind him, quirking their eyebrows at the things within the coliseum, although they remained silent and stayed hidden like Mewtwo.

Raikou was slightly curious to learn who the imprisoned being was, but his thoughts were subsided when he and Suicune spotted a Rhyhorn in the crowd toss a small rock towards the cage like some sort of bully, sending the being in the cage to roll to the side and dodge it. Immediately the Rhyhorns, as well as Bouldarin, broke into vicious laughter, giving them the semblance of having personalities that were amused to the mere torture of others. It was obvious the being inside the cage was weak, and if it had any powers it was too exhausted to use them.

Because of this, as more rocks were thrown towards the cage in spite of obvious anger and sick entertainment, both Raikou and Suicune grimaced in horror. Thoughts of how creatures could be so cruel crossed their minds, and the thunder tiger couldn't help himself as he suddenly rushed forward and screamed out, "HEY! STOP THAT!"

Time seem to freeze at that direct moment, and Suicune only turned her disbelieving face to her counterpart, while Mewtwo, and even Jeff and Skyler, mentally scolded him with hundreds of insults…

…and all because every single Rhyhorn in the room dropped into silence, turning their eyes to the Legendary and exile that stood at the top of the room's entering stone staircase, some blinking, their mouths hanging open. Bouldarin even looked shock beyond what seemed abnormal for him, while the caged being's fury grew dim as curiosity and bewilderment took over.

Raikou blinked as well, finally realizing that he had given his and the others position away, and was now standing in front of a coliseum filled with bewildered, staring Rhyhorns.

"…oopsie."

-ooo-

"The Legendaries…have been captured?" Bouldarin repeated as Raikou ended the tale of the ENTIRE situation. The said thunder tiger, along with Suicune, was now standing in front of the Rhydon's throne, still in the coliseum, which had grown silent apart from the whispers of the Rhyhorns that had remained in their seats among the audience. The imprisoned being was still stuck in its cage in the middle of the room, although confusion and slight hopefulness covered its expression rather than anger like it had before the unexpected 'creators of life' walked through the door.

No doubt was everyone in the room stunned by the presence of Legendaries, and out of respect they stayed in their seats, not talking out loud while the leader of the clan spoke to them. Mewtwo and Jeff and Skyler, who were still right outside the coliseum cavern, stayed behind the wall, hiding unless their help was required, despite that they still listened with interest.

Bouldarin sighed, his eye still slightly widened, although the aftermaths of surprise had left him and the clan a little while ago. Now, instead, they all seemed eager to learn why Legendaries were walking their halls.

"Onto the situation in front of us, though…" Suicune cut in for her counterpart, who backed away slightly, giving her the signal to explain. The water dog did just that, telling Bouldarin about their deal to negotiate with them on the behalf of Atsila, and also the story the Charizard had told them about the war between their clans.

Bouldarin started to growl slowly as Atsila was mentioned, along with the death of the Charizard's wife, Scalene. As Suicune ended her tale Bouldarin flew upwards onto his feet, convincing Raikou to step back once more, while Suicune even looked intimidated despite that she remained in place.

"Don't. Ever. Mention. Atsila. To. _Me_," the Rhydon snarled, his voice not going beyond a vicious howl, although the Rhyhorns among the audience seemed to growl in sync with him. Suicune narrowed her eyes, as did Raikou, and the thunder tiger walked forward, somewhat wondering if the shock of them being Legendaries was rubbing off, as Bouldarin suddenly didn't seem so afraid of them.

With a snort, Suicune suddenly stepped forward. "You are the one who started the war, Bouldarin," she muttered, slight vile leaking from her tone. The Rhydon narrowed his eye alongside hers, and only stepped forward as well.

"Have you heard _my_ side of the story, yet?" he then asked, obviously trying his best to keep his behavior civilized. His tone carried mock, which such a thing made Suicune growl, although she remained silent as if signaling for him to continue.

"Those metallic Pokemon _killed my son_!"

As if on cue the Rhyhorns in the room roared, adding to the intimidation that came with the Rhydon's snarl. Raikou widened his eyes, as did Suicune, both aware that he was referring to the robotic Pokemon, although they were still shocked that the metallic 'monsters' had been in the forest in the first place.

"Those monsters came from nowhere and killed my son – the heir to my throne," Bouldarin began, not giving Suicune a chance to explain, "and all under the spawning hands of that demon!"

He jabbed his claw forward, and all eyes turned to the being inside of the cage, who jolted slightly from the sudden gain of attention. Raikou and Suicune, out of bewilderment, slowly approached the 'demon', which Bouldarin didn't seem to mind.

The female DNA-resembling hostage lowered her eyes to the Legendaries, and, if she had a mouth, would be smiling at realizing that two rulers (well, _one_) of natural balance were still free. Raikou somehow felt safe under the being's soft glance, and found himself mentally debating Bouldarin even if he had no proof of her having innocence. By the way Suicune's expression showed the same formation, it was obvious she was having doubts as well.

"Who are you?" Raikou slowly mumbled, almost as if he was in a daze of some sort.

The being grabbed the iron bars of her cage so she could come closer to the thunder tiger and water dog, who were standing right in front of her metallic prison. "My name is Deoxys," she tried to reply in a friendly manner, although exhaustion and fright from before blocked this from her telepathic voice that spoke outwards like Mewtwo's. "I came from outer space, where my species is spread throughout the universe."

Raikou and Suicune listened with interest, although Bouldarin seemed to roll his eye at every word she emitted.

"When I came across this planet I was fascinated by it," Deoxys started again, keeping her eyes entirely focused on Suicune and Raikou, "I noticed that it was controlled by beings who surveyed the rules of natural balance. After a while I noticed that strange Pokemon made of metal were coming out of nowhere and hunting the Legendaries down. I knew this was bad so I came down to investigate and help in any way I could.

"I came across this forest when I touched down. The first thing I realized was that robotic Pokemon were heading towards here, hurting any normal Pokemon they came by in order to hunt for Legendaries. I tried to help by keeping away any I came across. Since they seemed to be attracted to the forest I stayed here, and now I know why they were obsessed with this place – you guys, the only walking Legendaries – well, _Legendary_, since Raikou's an exile – was here.

"I tried to warn you by finding you, and when I noticed you were in this 'Atsila's' tribe, I tried to get there. The problem is, Rocky over there" – she shot a deathly glare towards Bouldarin – "thought that since I was coming by Atsila's clan so much I was his pawn in the war between their clans, and since he hadn't seen my species anywhere, he thought I was a demon who was summoning the robotic Pokemon since they had started to appear in the forest a little while after I got here, which was really because of your arrival."

Raikou and Suicune exchanged shocked glances, but nodded towards Deoxys as they took in her words. Her story made perfect sense, they thought, and they knew that Bouldarin had been jumping to conclusions too quickly when he had blamed an extraterrestrial Pokemon in creating the robots. With angered eyes Suicune turned to Bouldarin, who had already begun to growl.

"The demon tells lies!" the Rhydon spat, speaking to Suicune and Raikou as if they were merely members of his clan. "Atsila summoned her to make the metallic monsters and kill my clan!"

"Do you have any proof of this?" Suicune retorted, and Bouldarin swallowed his tongue as the Legendary advanced on him, Raikou only eyeing the event in the background beside Deoxys. Quickly the Rhydon shook his shock and intimidated state away before regaining his monstrous stance.

"I have all the proof I need in my son's murdered carcass!" he answered with a vicious snarl, although Suicune kept firm.

"Why would Atsila want to kill your son anyway?" Raikou cut in from the back, moving forward until he was right beside his counterpart.

Bouldarin's mouth twitched, and he only narrowed his eye as he then muttered, "Because…we hate each other. _Brothers_ usually do."

In unison, Raikou, Suicune, as well as Mewtwo, Jeff, and Skyler widened their eyes.

_B-brothers_?

Bouldarin threw his head back to let out a hoarse laugh, as if he had grown insanely happy, or just really arrogant and mocking. "I bet Atsila didn't tell you _that _part, huh?" he then sneered, seriousness gracing his voice. "We were both brothers, and we had a sibling rivalry growing up to who would lead the clan when we were older. When I learned it was him I was angry…

"So, when I was old enough, I took all of the Rhyhorns from the clan and ran off to start my own. Atsila hated me for it, he thought I was selfish to not be there and serve my duties among his tribe, only running off so I could be the leader of my own. He was also mad that I wasn't there to kiss his ass all the time and call him my graceful lord.

"I knew that he despised me, and despite that our clans had agreed to live in peace, I knew he wanted nothing but for me to be loyal to him again. I know he summoned that demon" – he pointed to Deoxys again – "and she created the robotic Pokemon to kill my son, which was Atsila's warning to merge my clan with his or something of greater tragedy would happen.

"I wasn't afraid of him, despite that my son's death brought my clan down to the ground. I knew for one thing that I had to be strong, and so I returned the favor, and killed his wife, Scalene, to show him that I will not be taken as a fool!

"After that the war between our clans began. It wasn't long ago before I found his demon pawn, and I captured her, which will hopefully end the tyranny that is the reign of the metallic monsters!"

Raikou and Suicune were speechless, their thoughts instantly debating if Bouldarin's words were true – as if Atsila really did lie to them and was only using them to end a war _he_ really had started. They couldn't help but carry doubt in their gut (although they were convinced Bouldarin and Atsila were really brothers, as they felt that that was true) towards the fact that a Pokemon of a peaceful semblance such as Atsila would really be evil enough to kill his own blood's son just as a warning for him to rejoin his clan.

Was it all true? Was it only partially true? Was it all lies? So many questions had risen up from the explanation that Raikou felt like he was going to faint.

"Y-you have no proof that Atsila was able to create metallic monsters, or even summon Deoxys," Suicune muttered, stuttering slightly as if it was the only thing she had in mind she could possible counter with. Bouldarin seemed to chuckle at the lack of her comebacks, despite that he showed anger towards it all the same.

"Where is _your_ proof that he didn't?" he replied, narrowing his eye again, and Suicune pulled back, glancing at Raikou as if looking for guidance. They did know that Atsila did not bring fourth the robotic Pokemon, but they still didn't know who did.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Skyler displayed their own shock from the revealing of Bouldarin's alibi, their own debates on if it was true in some parts or not overtaking their thoughts. Mewtwo even seemed bewildered about the whole thing, wanting the truth behind it all.

Jeff turned his head to Skyler. "Dude, does anyone else feel like they're in _CSI: La'Rousse City_? Only, instead of La'Rousse City, we're in a cave filled with man-eating Rhyhorns in the middle of a forest in the Sinnoh region."

Mewtwo, ignoring Jeff, turned his head the other way. His thoughts became interrupted when he felt the familiar feeling that he had felt before he rescued Raikou and Suicune from Darkrai's island erupt through his gut, and he couldn't help but bring his somewhat-worried eyes towards the far entrance of the Rhyhorn clan's cave.

Danger was coming.

And it wasn't a Pokemon.

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

O.o

"_What a twist_!"

Lol, Jeff likes CSI. :D

Well, we all know Atsila didn't create the robots, nor 'summon' Deoxys, but that still doesn't mean he didn't play a part in starting the war with Bouldarin. Is Bouldarin telling the truth, or is Atsila?

Whose side will you take?

Anyway, second part coming soon.


	11. Encounter

Hey peoples!

Oh snap, next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Encounter

* * *

**

-ooo-

Something was coming…Mewtwo could feel it.

He couldn't tell what it was entirely, or what its intentions were.

However, he could tell that it was coming towards the cave; he could feel the being's feet tap against the ground outside the hill. To his senses they were vibrations – little spasms that surged through his feelings, causing the sensation of worry to explode within the bowels of his gut.

He knew of the vast possibilities behind who the approaching figure was, but strangely despite how high the odds were that it was a friend coming to help them, he couldn't do anything but beg to differ.

It was danger.

It was an enemy.

He could feel it.

A small nudge in the forearm brought Mewtwo to escape from his thoughts, convincing him to turn his eyes towards Jeff, who was staring at him with worried orbs. The manmade Pokemon was tempted to roll his eyes at the irrelevant caring that the Roselia seemed to possess, regardless how 'retarded' the Pokemon appeared to be. Skyler the Flygon was even glancing at him, although it was more of a bewildered glare rather than one silently asking what was wrong with him.

Signaling to push the lingering worries aside by waving his hand in a monotonic manner, Mewtwo turned away from Jeff and Skyler, and instead brought his focus towards the coliseum beyond the wall he was hiding behind. It was then when he realized that he had been so jumbled in his previous thoughts he did not notice Raikou and Suicune inform Bouldarin that they were going to go into the other room to discuss new plans due to the recent revealing of unknown, yet surprising truths. No doubt were they slightly confused on how to convince the Rhydon to at least release Deoxys, which would be one step on finally solving the whole mess. It was obvious they were also bewildered why Atsila didn't tell them that Bouldarin was his brother.

As the thunder tiger and water dog emerged into the cavern behind the coliseum, Jeff and Skyler immediately ran up to them once they were out of view of the Rhyhorns, asking for their thoughts on the situation. Raikou only shrugged, lost within the trauma that was the confusing war between Bouldarin and Atsila – a war with two different viewpoints in which they couldn't tell which one was the truth. Suicune seemed determine to figure out the answer, although she seemed angered, possibly at the fact that Bouldarin had refused to release Deoxys until her innocence could be proven.

No matter how many times they had told the Rhydon that the robotic Pokemon were created by an organization trying to capture the Legendaries, the leader of the Rhyhorn clan was too stubborn to believe it. He did feel strange towards the idea of the creators of life being hunted down, obviously debating with himself if what Raikou and Suicune said was true. Apparently everyone was mentally accusing the other for lying, and Bouldarin no longer seemed affected by Suicune's status as a Legendary like any religious and spiritual clan leader would.

Raikou sighed, his head hurting tremendously due to the fact that his mind failed to cooperate with the heavy indent of information. He couldn't tell what was wrong or what was right, and was now wishing someone would lay it down for him in a manner fit for teaching a kindergartener with special needs. With the way the stories of both sides went in different directions Raikou couldn't conclude together the appropriate facts from each one.

Suicune was suffering from the same problem. She was a Legendary – not a detective or CSI. It was bad enough Atsila wasn't there to explain the truth behind Bouldarin's words, or tell them why he didn't include his brotherly connection with the Rhydon before, as well as the childhood feud they had had over who would be their clan's leader.

"Perhaps we should return to Atsila's tribe…" Raikou muttered, keeping his tone quiet, still feeling like he was running around in circles with no signs of course change. "Maybe we could bring this new information to him and leave him to give us the rest of the jumbled explanation."

His counterpart turned her head to the entrance into the coliseum, eyeing Deoxys, who was still trapped in her cage in the pit center of the room, with slight compassion as she watched Bouldarin sneer at her whenever she turned her eyes to him. She was quite paranoid to leave the DNA Pokemon in the hands of the Rhydon, seeing as how he seemed to be progressive and therefore if they did leave to meet up with Atsila, then she wouldn't be surprised if they came back to learn that she had been executed. She knew that Deoxys was innocent, but yet with no proof it was going to be hard to convince Bouldarin of the same thing.

"Going back to see Atsila would be wise," she started, earning the attention of everyone but Mewtwo, who had returned his eyes to the entrance into the Rhyhorn clan caverns, "but I really don't want to leave Deoxys here. To tell you the truth I don't trust Bouldarin…"

Raikou nodded, agreeing with her. As Suicune turned her eyes downward to ponder on the predicament, Raikou brought his eyes to Mewtwo, smiling slightly as he thought of a solution to their problem. "Why don't you go talk to Atsila, Mewtwo?" he asked somewhat childishly as if he was proud at himself for coming up with the idea. His counterpart returned her eyes to him, although her casual expression hinted that she agreed with it, while Jeff and Skyler remained silent with bewilderment.

However, the manmade Pokemon that was Mewtwo didn't respond, instead keeping his narrowing eyes towards the one spot he couldn't take them off of – the entrance into the caverns. Jeff was tempted to nudge him again, but for some reason decided not to when the said feline-humanoid gaped his mouth slowly, as if realizing something horrific. His eyes seem to dull, widening simultaneously, and oxymoronically an expression of both awe and fright graced his facial features.

The danger he was feeling – the weird sensation of heavy feet stomping across the ground outside, gaining closer – it was driving his delicate senses crazy. He could feel the churning sensation of nervousness erupt throughout his stomach, and now it wasn't just his gut who was signaling his worry.

He knew who the stomps belonged to.

It wasn't just a Pokemon, but instead dozens of them, all heading towards the hill like an army charging into battle. He knew for one thing that the stomps did not belong to the vast army of Atsila's tribe, nor the warriors of any other clans, but instead of monsters hell-bent on capturing the Legendaries.

Artificial monsters – _artificial Pokemon_.

He knew this because the stomps were not sending the vibrations of padded footing, or the flesh of real feet hitting the ground, but instead…

His eyes widened, almost bulging out of his head, and Raikou and the others only quirked their eyebrows at this, completely oblivious to the terror that was approaching them from outside.

Instead they were sending the vibrations of..._metal_.

"We need to get out of here…" he mumbled, his voice coming out as a nearly-incoherent whisper under his breath. Raikou and the others exchanged looks, appearing bewildered all the same since their senses were not powerful enough to capture _them_ – to sense _their_ closing distance.

To know that an army of dozens of robotic Pokemon were coming.

Mewtwo turned to the others, his expression now contorted with fury since they had not acted on instinct with the call of his previous words. He knew there was no time - that they needed to leave.

"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" he repeated, his telepathic voice booming across the caverns. Bouldarin and the other Rhyhorns snapped their eyes around, searching for the owner of the voice that had carried a tone similar to a person informing his comrades to get away from a bomb that was mere seconds away from detonation. Raikou stumbled back from the explosion of Mewtwo, who had already begun to back away in the direction opposite of the entrance into the caverns.

"Why?" Raikou asked, his tone calm unlike Mewtwo's. It was obvious he lacked fear due to being unaware of the reason why the said manmade Pokemon was suddenly frightened.

All of a sudden, as if on cue, a loud screeching sound echoed throughout the caverns, and Raikou and the others growled in pain before throwing their heads down to the floor in hopes of protecting their ears from the deafening beep. With the way snarls (which could barely be heard over the intruding sound) came from the coliseum room, Raikou knew that Bouldarin and his clan were suffering from it as well.

It was almost as if hundreds of smoke detectors had gone off at once, blinding the inhabitants inside the caverns with a screech that made their ears sting. Mewtwo managed to push his head up from the midst of it, bringing his eyes, which were practically clenched together, to the entrance into the cavern, and what he saw made his heart plummet, coldness enshrouding his muscles as he recognized the one thing he had been fearing.

Standing at the entrance, dozens of others like it entering behind it, was a Garchomp, robotic appendages serving as its real ones. Its metallic eye zoomed in, its comrades snarling from behind it, obviously waiting for the commands to launch forward. Raikou gasped in utter disbelief as he turned his eyes towards them as well, the others doing the same. The beeping sound had ceased, and all was left was the large vortex of fear and misery that had covered Raikou and the others.

They had been found.

They stood frozen in place, frightened beyond their whims and therefore too scared to move. Raikou couldn't help but quirk his eyebrow slightly as a humanoid figure appeared from behind the metallic Pokemon, the said artificial beings stepping aside to allow him to pass as if they were his loyal bodyguards. His maroon-colored eyes glinted with obvious deviousness, seeming to shine despite the distance between him and Raikou, and he brought a gloved hand up to flick a bang of silver from his face, smirking slightly while doing so.

Raikou was trying to learn of the being's identity, although he gasped when he noticed other humans with intimidating, dark garments on appear from beside him. His eyes paled as he noticed the large, red 'R' that was printed on their clothes, and it didn't take much for him to mumble out the name of the enemy in which every Legendary was aware of – in which every Legendary had been captured by.

"_Team Rocket_…"

He saw the silver-haired being mumble something to the Rocket grunts around him, his smirk strong, although it died down slightly when a grunt carrying some sort of handheld computer device came by, whispering something in his ear. The robotic Pokemon kept their eyes on Raikou and the others, obvious bloodthirsty, waiting for someone to give the command for them to launch forward. They were starting to grow antsy.

-ooo-

Terotrey Horrifiance couldn't help but smile as he entered the Rhyhorn caverns, gazing upon the two Legendaries he had been searching for instantly as they came into view. His robotic Pokemon growled from around him, waiting for him to push the button on the remote he hid behind his back, which would send them sprawling forward and towards their targets.

"I…have found you…" he hissed to himself, his maroon-colored eyes focusing on Raikou and Suicune. The key to starting his final experiment was only a few yards in front of him, and he knew all too well that it was practically in the palm of his hands now. He couldn't help but feel excited, although he managed to confine it all into a devious smirk and a flick of one of his silver bangs.

He was about to push the button, which would send the dozens of robotic Pokemon he had forward, when Rocket grunts appeared at the sides of him, one coming up to inform him of something he hadn't been expecting.

"Sir," the grunt began, whispering into the scientist's ear, "according to my scanner here" – he slightly held up the handheld computer device – "Raikou's displaying power levels of a normal thunder-type…"

Terotrey snapped his eyes towards the grunt, his smirk slowly lowering into a frown. "What are you trying to say?"

"Uh, sir…Raikou's Legendary essence is missing."

The silver-haired scientist's face fell completely – at realizing that one of the Legendaries he had been searching for wasn't even a Legendary anymore. He could feel anger slightly grow in him, although he was still wondering how a thing even came to be. Nonetheless, he was satisfied that Suicune still had hers, and therefore she would be the final key in his experiment.

"Suicune's essence should be enough," he told the grunt, bringing the remote he was holding into view, thumb placing itself on the button to launch his robots forward. "Capture Suicune and only Suicune – forget about Raikou; he is worthless to me."

-ooo-

It wasn't long before Bouldarin and the Rhyhorns emerged into the main cavern, gasping in disbelief themselves as they gazed upon the silver-haired scientist whom Raikou had overheard was called Terotrey. Mewtwo, despite feeling like time had frozen, took sanctuary behind a different wall to avoid being spotted by the Rhyhorns, as, knowing Bouldarin, the Rhydon would probably try to connect him with the enemy. Out of their own fright Jeff and Skyler did the same, hiding beside Mewtwo.

"The metallic monsters…" Bouldarin began, his breathing quickening. "They…they…_belong_ to Team Rocket?"

Even tribes that lived in the forest were aware of the monstrous organization that was Team Rocket, and suddenly Bouldarin's thoughts on his brother, Atsila, as well as the supposed 'demon', Deoxys, grew dim, and he no longer blamed them for anything. He now had proof that he was wrong, and Raikou and Suicune blinked in surprise when the Rhyhorns suddenly stepped in front of them, acting like a stone barricade.

Sensing the exile and Legendary's confusion, Bouldarin turned to them, and with a face fit for a serious general, muttered, "I now believe what you say – that these monsters belong to Team Rocket and have been hunting for you. We will hold them off as best as we can, but you must escape through the exit at the back of the tunnels."

Raikou and Suicune were shocked at Bouldarin's sudden change of heart, and how he seemed he was ready to give his life to protect them.

"What are you waiting for?" he then snarled. "Go! NOW!"

Jumping slightly, Raikou and Suicune immediately took off down the tunnels, Bouldarin's clan becoming smaller as distance grew between them. They felt their stomachs churn when they heard Terotrey suddenly roar out, "DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!"

With the way groans of pain and misery soon echoed throughout the caverns, Raikou turned his head back to notice that the army of robotic Pokemon had lunged forward and collided with the Rhyhorns, now pushing against them, trying to get through. Bouldarin and his clan seemed determine to protect them, though, and therefore pushed back, their long line of defense moving forward as they tried to withstand the immense power the robotic Pokemon held.

Mewtwo, on the other hand, jumped slightly when Bouldarin's narrowed eye turned in his direction, noticing him in the shadows. However, instead of accusing him to be another demon, or even staring at his weird appearance in bewilderment, the Rhydon muttered, "Are you an ally with Raikou?"

The manmade Pokemon emerged from the shadows and slowly nodded.

Bouldarin returned his eye to the opposing robotic Pokemon, snarling slightly as he struck his claw forward, hitting one in the side of the face and sending it flying backwards towards Terotrey, who growled slightly at the sight before taking off up the entrance to outside. The Rhydon returned his eye to Mewtwo. "Raikou will need you to protect him and Suicune. We will handle the metallic monsters here, but you must go with them." The Rhydon slowly darted his eye towards the coliseum cavern, sighing slightly while doing so. "The demon" - he stopped, correcting himself - "_Deoxys_ is innocent, and I'm now convinced of that. Take her with you; she will be helpful."

Mewtwo stared in disbelief.

"We cannot hold them forever!" Bouldarin added as he rammed into another robot. "Free Deoxys from her cage and then go after Raikou!"

Mewtwo snapped his thoughts away and nodded determinedly before taking off towards the coliseum room, Jeff and Skyler following behind, covering their ears from the loud sounds of rock clashing with metal as the Rhyhorns fought and held back Terotrey's robotic Pokemon. It wasn't long before the manmade Pokemon opened Deoxys' cage, who stared at him bewilderedly as he, without explaining anything, grabbed her hand and lead her down the caverns towards the direction Raikou and Suicune had gone, Jeff and Skyler only a few feet behind.

Bouldarin turned his eye back to the crowd, aware of the commitment he had made. Revenge overtook his thoughts – on how he wanted every single metallic monster in the room to be dead, and all for the sake of his deceased son. He felt guilty for the innocent beings he had blamed due to his stubbornness, and was certain that putting himself in the risk of death to protect Raikou and the others from the hands of Team Rocket was forgiveness enough.

"I am sorry, brother…" he whispered.

Suddenly, rocks tumbled from above, and Bouldarin shot his eye upward to notice a hole to the outside surface form, the moon's light beginning to leak from it. Not only that, but Pokemon began to jump down the hole, landing on the ground beside him, displaying their own shocks from the situation before shaking their surprise away and immediately running into the battle mesh to help the Rhyhorns keep back the robotic Pokemon. Bouldarin, as well as the Rhyhorns, quirked their eyebrows as Luxrays came in to electrocute the robots around them, while dozens of other species of Pokemon took care of any that managed to get behind them.

It was then when Bouldarin recognized them as members of a tribe he had forced himself to hate, and the leader of the said tribe soon jumped down from the hole as well, landing right beside Bouldarin and convincing the Rhydon to gape in awe as he gazed upon his one and only brother.

"Atsila!"

-ooo-

Raikou and Suicune rushed down the dark tunnels of the caverns, focusing entirely on finding an entrance to the surface. However, guilt rushed through their minds at the thought of leaving Bouldarin and his clan behind, while disbelief from learning of the culprits behind the Legendaries' captures, as well as the other problems, surged through their aching muscles. They did not even notice Mewtwo, Deoxys, Jeff, or Skyler as the said Pokemon followed behind them, wondering about the situation as well.

They knew they had to escape, and because of this forced themselves down the labyrinthine tunnels which darkened as they got deeper into them. They began to panic as the sounds of battle grew distant, starting to feel claustrophobic in the midst of it.

Suddenly Raikou saw the moon's light reflect off a wall down a turn, and he immediately ran towards it, gasping for air, the others following him. He could feel himself sigh in relief as the cold air of the night soon pranced across his skin after he climbed a small ledge, the overwhelming-ness of the obsidian sky making him feel slightly dizzy.

Panting, he and Suicune fell forward onto the ground, the others soon doing the same. They slightly smiled towards one another as they realized that they had escaped, but nonetheless were fatigued more than before, and therefore needed to rest for a few minutes before they could continue. Mewtwo informed them that every passing second the robotic Pokemon were most likely closer to finding them again, and despite how distant they felt away from the horrific beings, they couldn't help but agree. Because of this they rose from their resting positions and began to walk down the field and towards the forest.

However, they stopped instantly when the large sound of turning propellers came up from behind them, and they snapped around to notice that a black helicopter, which would've camouflaged into the sky if it wasn't for the red 'R' symbol of Team Rocket painted on its surface, had come up from behind the hill. They could feel their stomachs burn again, and immediately broke out into a run, heading towards the forest.

Mewtwo, in the midst of this, launched a Shadow Ball towards the human contraption as it gained closer to them, soon hovering a few feet above them. He gasped when a robotic Fearow suddenly came up and swatted the ball of dark energy away, causing it to collide with the ground rather than with its target.

They had not escaped.

As if on cue, the door into the helicopter slid open, and Terotrey could be seen in the compartment behind it. He seemed to quirk his eyebrow slightly at the unidentified species Mewtwo and Deoxys were, but decided to pay no heed to them. Instead his devious smirk returned, and with a simple snap of his fingers about five robotic Pokemon appeared behind him and lunged outward, landing on the ground before heading straight towards them.

Immediately Raikou and the others were thrown backward as the robotic Pokemon ambushed them, their fatigue preventing them from putting up a good fight. Soon Raikou was thrown against a tree, Mewtwo and Deoxys suffering the same fate, while Jeff and Skyler had been kicked aside as if they were nothing but ants underneath a bully's magnifying glass. The only one who hadn't been knocked out, forced to stand in the middle, surrounded by her fallen comrades, was Suicune.

And she knew why.

She quickly took off to the side to avoid being captured, but before she could take sanctuary into the forest, the robotic Pokemon ambushed her from all sides, bringing her down in a few seconds flat. It wasn't long after that before she was placed in a net, the robots bringing her to the helicopter where Terotrey gazed at her with slight anger before ordering them to place her in the compartment.

Raikou moaned slightly as he regained consciousness, only to widen his groggy eyes when he saw the robotic Pokemon board an unconscious Suicune onto the helicopter, shutting the door behind them and allowing the contraption to take off. The thunder tiger gasped, his heart plummeting, and he struggled to return to his feet, immediately trying his best to launch whatever electric power he had to take down the helicopter.

However, it was no use – every thunderbolt he shot towards it wasn't powerful enough to cause major damage, and therefore Raikou could only tumble over as the helicopter flew towards the horizon, which sported shadowed mountains on its surface. He felt every inch of his hope die as he saw the Pokemon he loved be taken away from him, and only when the sound of the helicopter's roaring appendages grew dim with distance did the thunder tiger's tears begin to fall, him even screaming out her name into the night.

Suicune was defeated.

She had been captured.

And there was nothing he, an exile, could possibly do.

His love was gone.

"_SUICUNE_!"

-ooo-

Terotrey Horrifiance smiled as he eyed the unconscious Legendary Pokemon – Suicune, in her cage. Seeing as how Raikou no longer held his Legendary essence, he would have to take the last inch of the required substance from Suicune for his final experiment.

The silver-haired scientist slowly turned his maroon-colored eyes towards the window, eyeing the shrunken environment underneath the helicopter as the pilot maneuvered the vehicle to head towards the Team Rocket base among the mountains. Soon other helicopters from his organization came up from behind him, following his. Some were carrying the robotic Pokemon that had came with him, who had been called back from their fight with the Rhyhorns in the cave when the confirmation of Suicune's capture was stated.

In a few days his experiment would be complete, and soon only one Legendary would exist – a Legendary that would control all rules of natural balance under the power of its mere hand.

_Him_.

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued

* * *

**

OH GAWD NO SUICUNE! T-T

Well anyway, it looks like Terotrey's plot has finally been revealed. Heh, it looks like my reviewer, Azure Inu, had been right all this time. Crazy, huh?

Next chap coming soon...


	12. Confession

Hey peoples!

I bet some of you are really going to like this chapter. xD

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Confession****

* * *

**

-ooo-

Darkrai had never been the type to freak out, or feel scared nonetheless, as he was the nightmare Legendary – a creature created by Arceus himself to scare the minds of both normal Pokemon and humans everywhere. He loved his role among the rules of natural balance, finding joy in the mere satisfaction of knowing that the beings among the Earth were screaming in their sleep since they were being chased by horrific monsters behind closed eyelids.

He was the 'grim reaper' of the Pokemon world; the pure definition of horror, carrying more capability to frighten people than the guardian of the Underworld's gateway – Giratina. Whenever he felt scared, he would scold himself, mentally grading his cowardly thoughts to be out of character for him, or simply bad for the reputation he held to beings in all places. It was oxymoronic for the prince of darkness and horror to be afraid of anything, even if it was sometimes because of the unknown events the future had in store, or the fact that his counterpart, Cresselia, was on one of her moods.

Speaking of which…

Darkrai blinked, escaping his mesh of jumbled thoughts that he had gotten lost into while sitting in his cage. He wasn't surprised that he had been daydreaming, as it was pretty much the only thing he could do in the imprisoned state he was in (well, other than stare at the four colorless walls all day). The current things he had been pondering about revolved around the fright that had been filling his heart lately, and how it seemed weird for such a 'paranormal' apparition like him to be experiencing feelings similar to them. He hated it when he felt scared, mainly because when he was his arms got wobbly, feeling weakened even, and it was bad enough for the nightmare Legendary to feel cowardly in the first place.

Now, however, he somewhat understood why he felt so scared, although he managed to confine it all into a simple silent phase he put himself in. He was being cowardly because he did not know what the future held, which was one of the 'usual' reasons for one to become scared, despite that this didn't make him feel any better.

_What was Terotrey planning_?

That had been the question on everyone's mind lately, and no one, not even the wise Pokemon, Entei, could come up with the deep intention the silver-haired scientist obviously had in mind. It was mainly because of this did Darkrai feel scared since he did not know what this very intention or plan was. He held hope still, like he always told others he did, even when he actually didn't simply due to the fact that the mess he was in was something beyond hoping for a solution would bring comfort in. In fact, since Terotrey had captured most of the Legendaries with ease, he was certain they were all doomed.

He decided to keep such acceptance of the end in his mind rather than explain it to Entei and Cresselia. He had told them off whenever they implied that they had accepted the obvious truth – how Terotrey was winning and there was no signs of any change – but in the back of his head he was actually thinking the exact same things. Sure he believed in Raikou, but even he knew that giving support to the thunder tiger who had gotten exiled off the council because of his intolerant arrogant behavior looked more like a sign of desperation than true belief. Then again, he really had no one else to believe in.

_Even Legendaries need hope sometimes_…

Such a comment was now starting to sound like the motto of an insane philosopher to the mind of Darkrai, as the Legendaries were the ones who protected the world – not the ones who needed to be saved; who needed to be rescued. Even with evil organizations such as Team Rocket or Galactic on their tails twenty-four and seven, they had always fought to the end and made it out easily before the members of the said groups could even realize they had lost.

Darkrai wasn't trying to sound defeated, but he knew he had to face reality, and believing constantly, placing hopes in the last few beings that had a one percent chance of carrying the capability to save them like the folks in those child movies always managed to do was the complete opposite. He also wasn't believing just because of Raikou; he liked the kid! But, as said before, if the thunder tiger didn't rescue them, then it wouldn't be the only time he had let his Legendary teammates down.

Shifting his sea-green eyes to the corner of his cage, where Cresselia was hovering quietly, examining the ceiling like a bored genius, Darkrai sighed to himself. He admired his counterpart quite a lot, mainly because when he displayed symptoms of having hope even when he didn't, she never showed any signs of giving up either, almost as if she was willing to fight by his side until the end. He hated the Arceus-awful truth on how he had lied previously – that he didn't have hope for the future; that he actually believed this was the end for the Legendaries, but even then his counterpart actually acted like she did. He had no direct idea if she was carrying hope just because he said he did, but nonetheless was just happy that at least one of them hadn't been looking at the miserable side of everything lately…

To tell you the truth, he enjoyed being with his counterpart. Despite that they were both stuck in one cage in one room that gave them no signs if it was day or not, were probably mere days away from an uncertain death, and were forced to tolerate each other's personalities when they were both usually arguing all the time because of it, he had grown to believe that he wouldn't want to suffer such things by anyone else's side but hers.

He turned his softened eyes downward, smiling slightly, a blush rising to his obsidian face.

Yup, he loved her for sure.

He wasn't in the mood to dwell why, as his mind was already aching enough from the scolds he had mentally given himself for feeling scared all day. Now, whenever he looked at his counterpart, even when she was too lost in her thoughts to notice his loving gaze, he felt comforted – that everything would be fine. His heart fluttered with warmth, his fright dissipated away, and he felt the urge to move closer to her tug on his nerves. Strangely he wasn't scolding himself for experiencing these feelings, as, even when they seemed against his nature, they were the only things that helped him keep his sanity in their room that sort of looked like a confinement for a lunatic at an insane asylum.

"Hey…'Rai?"

Darkrai blinked as Cresselia's soft tone emitted from the corner of the cage, barely above a whisper.

'_Rai_?

She hadn't called him that in ages! It was the nickname she had made for him when they first met back in the days when she would annoy him just for the heck of it, seeing as how he always acted like an ass to her. He still did at times, although she was used to it and usually retorted back, eventually turning it into a full-fledged argument that made the Pokemon all the way in Orre cover their ringing ears in pain. He had to admit that he enjoyed it when she got angry, as when she did her expression turned into a one fit for some sort of barbaric woman before contorting into a pouting face that would match a stubborn kindergartner's – a face that would make Darkrai chuckle and want to bring her into a full embrace at its mere cuteness.

Now, as he had realized that he had grown to love his counterpart, he didn't mind the nickname, and instead felt happy since he was certain it was meant as a sign of affection, or simply a friendship bond 'thing'. Perhaps she felt comfortable when she was with him now, which was good because he wanted her to feel happy in his presence.

"Yeah?" he eventually replied, feeling his heart melt as she turned her attention away from the roof of their cage to his eyes, which had grown a somewhat-glowing hue to them. She slightly smiled as well, even when her counterpart had placed a smirk on his face rather than the large grin he wanted, just so he could hide his softie side from the being he loved with every inch of his dark, ghostly heart.

Cresselia slowly hovered closer to him, landing right beside him, which convinced him to land as well. Her eyes slowly gained a monotonic glisten to them, obviously hinting at the boredom that covered her countenance. When Darkrai saw this he immediately displayed the same look, feeling similar to his counterpart since there was nothing much to do in a cage. She suddenly brought her eyes to him, the awkward silence bothering her to where she finally answered, "I just wanted to ask you something…"

Darkrai turned his eyes to gaze at her, eyebrow slightly quirked. He had placed his arms behind him to support his weight as he leaned back against the cold flooring of the iron cage, although he brought his claw up to brush a strand of albino hair from his face every now and then. Even with silence dominating him Cresselia could tell that he was waiting for her question.

"I just wanted to ask," she began, voice quiet, "if there are any things you always wanted to do before you die…"

Darkrai could feel his eyebrow raise higher at the randomness of the question, and also at the fact that his counterpart was yet again implying that she had accepted their possible tragic fate, or at least something just as horrific. He remained silent, slowly sliding his eyes upwards as he pondered on her question. It was obvious she was trying to start a conversation to end the boredom that lingered among them, so the least he could do was provide her with an answer. If he could he would give her the world, after all (despite that he was trying to avoid becoming a hopeless romantic).

Eventually he shrugged, his voice casual since he was good at keeping his feelings away from his tone. "Explore the world; invent the cure for cancer; go bungee-jumping – you know, the usual stuff…"

Cresselia couldn't help but chuckle slightly at his attempted humor, which he thanked himself for pulling off since he enjoyed the sound of her heavenly voice coming out as a laugh. He found it quite strange that he was mostly complementing her on this kind of stuff, although he couldn't help but smile at the fact that he could still bring happiness to his crush even in gloomy times like the one they were in now.

"Come on, 'Rai," she managed to mutter out between giggles. "Tell me what you _really _always wanted to do."

Darkrai brought his eyes back up, this time pondering for a REAL answer. He could feel himself even cock his head to the side, as he really had never asked himself such a question, mostly because he never thought death would be looming over him. Perhaps he would want to go out with a 'bang' and give everyone nightmares in a few seconds flat, and also make them really weird ones where the victims woke up with quirked eyebrows rather than faces contorted with fear and nervous sweat. Maybe he would also take a trip to Alamos Town and visit Alice one last time – his good friend from a conflict he solved a while ago that involved an arguing Dialga and Palkia.

He eventually found himself turning his eyes to Cresselia, and, as if he knew all along, the very thing he would want to do before he died flashed through his mind like a sudden realization.

He would want to tell her how he felt.

He would tell her that he loved her – that he had grown to have feelings for her despite the bickering they did most of the time. He would tell her that he wanted to have her in his arms, comforting her, caressing her cheek with his finger like any creature affectionate to another would.

However, he didn't want to answer with such a conclusion. The last thing he wanted was to freak out his counterpart, and despite that the moment where they were obviously not far from a horrific ending fit with the act of confessing his love to her, he still felt like it wasn't right. What would he do if she didn't love him back? It would simply just add tension between them, which they really didn't need in the end of days.

Gees, he sure was sounding negative today…

To save himself from being suspicious, he chuckled in an arrogant manner before replying, "I will tell you my goal I would want to accomplish before I die" – he suddenly smirked deviously – "but you have to tell me yours first."

Cresselia only turned to eye him confusingly before her mind processed his words and brought her to display an expression of bewilderment. She hadn't really given it much thought on what _she_ would want to do before she died, apart from probably play a prank on Darkrai that would make him swallow his tongue and eat his arrogant words on how he thought he was the only 'civilized' one among them. She didn't want to reply with such a response, though, as she didn't want to offend her counterpart, or even bring a frown to his face when the recent times had been depressing enough already.

With a short sigh, she brought herself to mutter, "To tell you the truth I can't really think of anything…" She chuckled sheepishly, as if embarrassed, although her lips formed into a smile a few seconds after. "Nonetheless, I gave you a response, so you have to tell me the thing you would want to do."

Darkrai groaned, as her answer hadn't even been worth postponing his. He debated with himself mentally if he should tell her the truth about his love towards her, or simply give her one of the answers that he had thought up before. Finally choosing, he turned to her. "I would want…" He stuttered a bit, pausing his sentence entirely as he gave one last inch of thought to what he wanted to say. Admit his love? Don't admit his love? Admit his love? Don't admit his love? He had a hard time deciding. He slowly sighed, though, as he then finished. "I would want…to scare as much people as I could before I go."

Cresselia, who had been waiting anxiously for his response, suddenly allowed her enthusiasm to die down, acting as if his answer wasn't the one she had been hoping for. In fact, she didn't know what she was expecting, but with the way he had replied with such a voice that would outmatch a depressed person's, she couldn't help but feel the same emotion.

She didn't want to pursue it in case the reason behind it all was private, so she instead nodded slowly before turning around to head back to her part of the cage.

Darkrai watched her go, and could feel his heart plummet right then and there. He always scolded himself for being afraid, and now he was mentally bashing himself in the brain for being too scared to at least admit his feelings. He didn't want her to fall out of his reach without knowing the truth, and even he, a loner Pokemon who was obsessed with the idea of tormenting others with horrific dreams, had to agree with this. Before he realized it, his mouth had opened before his brain could comprehend.

"Wait!"

He froze as Cresselia snapped around to eye him, her eyebrow quirked, lavender eyes glistening with curiosity. It was obvious he wasn't going to get out of this one without telling the truth, and he could fell his breath quicken as he struggled on what to do, or even on what to say. He blinked a few times, staring at her as she stared back, which he found quite odd that she was acting so patient when most usually would've went back to their business by now and shrugged the unexplained call away. He knew that this very moment had to be the moment he was waiting for.

It was now or never.

Before Cresselia could even shiver in surprise when Darkrai lunged forward and grasped her face in his claws, pulling her towards him, the nightmare Legendary had closed his eyes, leaned in, and brought his mouth to hers.

He was…_kissing her_?

She widened her eyes at this, seeing as how her counterpart was actually kissing her, as if they were two dopey humans madly in love. She felt the emotions inside of her go off like fireworks, and she could feel warmth flutter through her stomach. She didn't even realize that in the midst of this she had closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.

Eventually Darkrai pulled away, still holding her face in his claws, and he smiled as she opened her soft eyes to meet his. "The only thing I would ever want to do before I die," he then began to speak, his tone abnormally soft, "was to tell you that I love you."

Cresselia blinked, somewhat doubtful that the loving being holding her face in his claws was actually her loner, arrogant counterpart, Darkrai - that the being who had kissed her with such gentleness as if she was actually kissing a ghost (irony not intended) was her rival among the arts of bravery versus fright.

Eventually she smiled, though, realizing that the being in front of her _was_ Darkrai – the being she had been wishing would become nicer and livelier. Now he had, and she felt like her life was complete, that being in her lover's arms, feeling his fingers caress her metallic skin was everything to her. She could fell her heart fly when he leaned in to touch his forehead to hers, both of them smiling like goofy teenagers.

His answer to her question…it was the one she had been hoping for all this time!

"I love you, too," she then replied, and he responded by placing another kiss to her lips before bringing her into an embrace.

Eventually a giggle emitted from out of nowhere, and Darkrai and Cresselia pulled away with quirked eyebrows and wandered their eyes around to find the source. They slowly turned them to the cage next to them, where the fire lion, Entei, was chuckling to himself as if he had just witnessed something cute and fuzzy. It was quite a weird sight when the old, philosophical Pokemon was performing it.

"Darkrai and Cresselia," he then said in a sing-song tone, "sitting in a cage, k-i-s-s-i-n-g."

The dreaming Legendaries rolled their eyes at the fire lion's childishness, but eventually brought each other into another embrace as they enjoyed the fact that they both were finally together.

They were suddenly split apart when the door into the room burst open, and two Rocket grunts surrounding a moveable cage came in, placing the metallic confinement right by Entei, who he, along with Darkrai and Cresselia, stared bewilderedly at as the Rocket grunts then, without sounds of any type, scurried off out of the room, slamming the door behind them as if they were in a hurry. With silence dominating them Darkrai and the others gaped their mouths slightly when they realized there was an unconscious four-legged being in the cage, and they couldn't help but widen their eyes as they recognized who it was.

Blue skin.

Purple cape-like feature on its back.

White whips for tails.

A crystal ornament attached to its head.

Darkrai could feel his breath quicken again, his stomach churning as his fears of the future and the strong lack of hope returned to his heart, allowing sudden depression to rest within him.

And all because the dog-like being in the cage – one of the 'free' creatures they had been hoping would save them – was Suicune.

-ooo-

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**To Be Continued**

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Hmmm...does Darkrai and Cresselia kissing seem anatomically possible?

O.o

Anyway, next chap coming soon!

In other news: I just heard that May's going to be making a cameo in an upcoming Diamond and Pearl episode. That oughta be interesting...


	13. Motivation

Hey peoples!

Whoa, fast updates. This is another filler-ish chapter. I have decided to spend one chapter tying up any loose ends in the whole Atsila versus Bouldarin feud.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 13: Motivation**

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-ooo-

"The coast is clear, my lord."

Bouldarin's eye blinked monotonically as the Rhyhorn in front of him – the leader of the scouts he had sent out in the caverns to search for any lingering robotic Pokemon – stepped away, his face filled with seriousness, although he looked somewhat relieved that the battle was over.

Not too long ago dozens of robotic Pokemon had raided the caverns, proceeding in proving that they weren't of Bouldarin's earlier assumptions and instead belonged to the crime syndicate: Team Rocket. All led by the horrific human scientist, Terotrey, the robots had chased after Raikou and the others, who Bouldarin had assumed had escaped because he had not seen them even after the metallic monsters had been called back and suddenly withdrawn from the fight only minutes after Terotrey had suspiciously left the cave. Of course, Raikou and the others had returned shortly after, stating sadly that Suicune had been captured, and since she was apparently the only one Terotrey needed, the said silver-haired scientist had decided to leave altogether.

Bouldarin hated himself for this; he felt he hadn't kept the monster in human form that was Terotrey Horrifiance away from the beings he had been striving himself to protect. Despite that most of his warriors had made it out of the battle alive, proving that they were indeed strong and worthy enough to help Raikou in any future battles, the Rhydon still felt guilty – both at the fact that he had been so judgmental before, dubbing the now-allied beings around him such as Deoxys the vile term of 'demon', and of his failed attempt to keep the robots away from Suicune during the fight.

He knew that he and his clan had fought bravely, which he had been convinced of by his brother, Atsila.

Bouldarin blinked, remembering his brother as he turned his eye towards the said old Charizard, who was speaking with a Luxray called Ulrik over various things – no doubt reports on the after effects of the battle, as well as the status of their clan's warriors. The Rhydon was quite surprised that his brother had come in and joined the fight during the raid of the robots, although the Charizard hadn't spoken to him since then, obviously because of the feud their clans had been dealing with before the arrival of Raikou and the others. Bouldarin could tell that his brother still felt hatred towards him for his past acts, and for once in the stubborn Rhydon's life he couldn't help but not blame him.

The Rhydon, feeling slight nervousness towards his brother, turned his attention to Raikou, who had been sulking in the corner of one of the caverns ever since the start of recovery after the battle. Mewtwo and Deoxys looked quite depressed as well, although they were trying to comfort the thunder tiger while simultaneously coming up with a plan to fix this whole mess. Jeff and Skyler, on the other hand, were conversing with themselves on possible ideas, despite that their saddened expressions signaled their own worry for the unpredictable events in the future.

Bouldarin sighed again. He noticed of what Raikou had told him that Terotrey was obviously planning something for the Legendaries – some sort of epic act that would probably change the world. The Rhydon felt somewhat frightened whenever he thought of the possibilities, which caused images of apocalyptic conclusions to where survivors, if any, were forced to live in a barren, deserted world to fill his mind. He also assumed that the intention Team Rocket had been carrying ever since the start of their business, which the words 'world domination' summed it all up, was their main goal to accomplish, and no doubt would the power of the Legendaries help them do this with ease.

"Brother…"

The Rhydon snapped his thoughts away when Atsila's wise voice spoke from the side of him, displaying slight anger, although obvious calmness to hold it all back could be sensed from it as well. Bouldarin turned his eye to the approaching Charizard as the old Pokemon folded his wings around his torso like he always did, giving him the impression of having a cloak, despite that it was obvious he was doing it to hide the cut and scrapes on his chest and abdomen he had received during the battle from before. It somewhat amazed Bouldarin that, even with the Charizard's aged countenance, the Pokemon could still put up a better fight than most warriors out there who had global renown.

"Yes?" Bouldarin eventually muttered in reply, feeling his stomach churn in the process. He could feel foreshadows of argument rise from within his gut, as the war he and his clan had put his brother's through had taken a few lives from each. It would be awkward for Atsila to let such a thing go unnoticed – _unremembered_; to let such hatred that grew from the moments suddenly be forgotten as if they had never existed. Nonetheless, the Rhydon kept a straight face, deciding to reveal none of his emotions.

Atsila sighed slightly, his emerald eyes turning downward. He seemed ashamed to face his brother, as he always had been, and even with the fact that the air within the caverns had grown quiet, calm, and eventless due to the end of the battle with the robots, tension still lingered upon him, as well as with his brother. Almost whispering, the old Charizard muttered, "You and I have many hardships, Bouldarin, which our clans have been forced to endure."

Bouldarin forced himself to nod as the guilt from being judgmental before returned. "I now know the truth, brother," he replied softly, and Atsila could swear he heard sadness grace the Rhydon's tone, "that you did not kill my son; that you did not give my tribe the plague of metallic monsters."

"Our clans have suffered greatly for this," said Atsila, "we have lost loved ones within each, and all due to a simple misunderstanding."

Bouldarin turned his head away; feeling more ashamed than Atsila was. His gaze softened as he focused it on the stone ground below, and he could feel himself clench his claws in anger, suddenly hating his own person rather than Team Rocket – the true culprits of his son's death and the match behind the blaze of war between his and Atsila's tribes.

"Even if Team Rocket had brought us into war," Atsila then started again, not speaking harshly to earn his brother's attention, as he even knew that the Rhydon was thinking about the things he had done – the false assumptions he had made, turning them into guilt that pained his heart to think about, "I cannot forgive you for the death of my wife, nor the casualties of my tribe members that you have caused in the midst of this misunderstanding, as you cannot forgive me for the deaths my tribe has caused to your clan in defense."

"I know, brother…" Bouldarin replied, still not turning to face Atsila, who closed his eyes to help clear his jumbled thoughts. His voice was still strong, although implications of regret practically drenched his tone to the extent where Atsila could tell that his brother really meant it – that he was really wishing he could take all the things he had done back.

Atsila sighed once again. "We did have a feud when we were young," he began, slightly opening his eyes. "I was the one chosen to be leader, and you became jealous. I could not blame you for this – I know how much you cared for our clan and thought that you knew what to do to keep it alive better than I did.

"However, even when I was chosen, I was sad for you. I was not mad when you left to start your own clan, but instead depressed. I was worried for you, brother – afraid that you would not know what to do. When I saw that you had successfully started your own tribe, I agreed to share my resources with your people.

"However…" Atsila turned his eyes to Bouldarin. "That's when the metallic monsters came and -"

" – and became the sparks to false accusations, which brought us into war," Bouldarin finished for his brother, sighing himself as he dwelled on it mentally. He could practically feel Atsila gaze upon him with slight compassion, catching the hints of sorrow that graced his countenance like an emotional veil. He could feel his brother's urge to comfort him, but the damage from the clan war was still present – like a phantom that wouldn't stop haunting them, refusing to make them forget the past and continue onto the future with clean slates to draw upon. Because of this Atsila did not display visible sympathy for his brother, and instead only turned around to walk away.

"I didn't tell Raikou about our family connection," he suddenly muttered, stopping in his place, back turned towards Bouldarin, although the Rhydon had shifted around to face him, "because I was ashamed of you. I had purposely forgotten that you carried my blood in your soul, and all because I did not want to remember you as a brother, but as simply another clan leader in the forest. Even if we both have agreed to help Raikou and the others rescue the Legendaries, I will no longer be fighting by a 'brother', but instead a simple ally."

Bouldarin bowed his head in misery, mentally agreeing with him. He had caused sorrow to cover their tribes' members, and felt that he didn't deserve to be looked upon by Atsila as a brother he could turn to whenever he needed help. He was nothing more but a clan leader Atsila traded with; their brotherly connection had dissipated due to lack of honor.

"I understand," Bouldarin replied, but when he turned his head up to eye his brother, the Charizard had already walked off.

-ooo-

Flame the Charmeleon, otherwise known as Atsila's son – the heir to the throne of his tribe, stared somewhat-emotionlessly at his father as the said Charizard walked off from Bouldarin the Rhydon. He had overheard the conversation that had taken place between them, agreeing with his father that he couldn't forgive Bouldarin for what he had done, even if the whole thing was caused by a simple misunderstanding and jumping to conclusions too quickly.

He didn't as much despise Bouldarin anymore, though, seeing as how the Rhydon's bravery in battle had amazed him. He was somewhat annoyed towards his father for not even informing him that he was the brother to the Rhydon; then again, for the reasons Atsila had explained why he felt ashamed to confirm his bloodline connection with the stubborn leader, Flame now understood completely why.

He was forcing himself to tolerate Bouldarin, as he knew that saving the Legendaries was the top priority now. If their clans continued to fight then they would be worthless in the upcoming battle against Terotrey, and no doubt would that cause disadvantages, which really needed to be avoided if they were going to brawl with super strong robotic Pokemon.

"Hey."

Flame escaped his thoughts as he turned his head to spot Shadow the Absol sit right next to him, keeping her red eyes away from his emerald gaze for reasons he didn't bother pondering on. Instead he only smirked slightly, despite that his own orbs displayed monotonic hues that he managed to support through silence, which, of course, added awkwardness to the moment. Shadow was the one affected by this the most, though, seeing as how she was the one who held feelings towards the Charmeleon – not the other way around.

She eventually turned her head to him, and regardless that he didn't look back, instead keeping his eyes on his father, as well as Bouldarin, she slowly asked, "Do you trust in Bouldarin now?"

The Charmeleon could feel a snort rise from within his chest. He had always scolded those who asked such a question, definitely since it was obvious he was never going to like the Rhydon. Now, though, after seeing the stubborn leader actually put himself in harm's way to protect Raikou and Suicune (despite that Terotrey's sneaky tactics had gotten passed this) Flame couldn't help but feel slightly impressed. He emitted a short sigh, having a hard time interpreting what his mind was configuring.

"Not entirely," he found himself saying shortly after, and Shadow only shrugged since she had been expecting such an answer. "Like my father I can't forgive him for what he did – my mother is dead because of him." He slowly shifted his eyes towards Shadow, as if trying to get his point across by meeting her gaze head-on. "The Legendaries need to be saved, though, and that's the important thing now."

Shadow could fell herself blush as his emerald eyes bore into her scarlet ones, and she quickly turned her head away, which brought Flame to display a look of bewilderment. He didn't bother to pursue his friend's weird behavior, as he was just somewhat happy that he was actually talking to her without any interruptions. Usually when they tried to spend some time together, his duty as the heir to the tribe's throne, as well as other things, pulled him away before he could mutter a single word.

"Yeah…me too," Shadow replied, stuttering slightly as she tried to hide her blush but yet keep the conversation going to avoid suspicion from her Charmeleon crush. Flame didn't notice any of it anyway, although this was mostly because he was too busy pondering over recent things. Meanwhile, Shadow couldn't help but to turn to gaze at the side of his face since his eyes were focused towards the ground, and she somehow felt that if their tribe and Bouldarin's were going to help Raikou with his fight against Terotrey then the possibility of one of them not coming back was at a high percentage. She suddenly was certain that if she didn't admit her feelings now it would be too late.

"Uh…Flame?"

Flame turned to eye her, his gaze abnormally compassionate rather than carrying implications of arrogance like usual. His eyebrow was slightly quirked, his lips forming into an emotionless frown.

Shadow gulped. "I…uh…" She was very tempted to curse at herself, mainly because she couldn't bring her mouth to mutter the three words she had always wanted to tell him.

Flame suddenly snapped his head away when Atsila's voice rang from the side, calling for him. The Charmeleon turned to gaze at Shadow in a somewhat-loving manner, although he shook it off when he got up and began to brush himself off. Shadow felt her heart plummet, but she knew that confessing now would be pointless, so she instead turned her head the other way, avoiding his emerald eyes that reminded her of hypnotizing malachite.

"What did you want to say?" he asked somewhat quickly, and she jumped a bit, not expecting him to be interested in her thoughts. For the sake of everything, though, she hesitated to shake it off, telling him it was nothing of importance.

"Just…forget it…" she said, placing a forced grin on her face, although Flame still seemed slightly worried. He could feel she wanted to say something deep, but decided not to push on the subject and therefore turned away to head towards his father's call.

In the midst of it, he turned his head to eye her one last time, his smirk returning. "Stay out of trouble, you here?"

Shadow couldn't help but frown at the arrogance that had leaked from his words, but was still mostly sad because she hadn't confessed. Nonetheless, though, she sighed, blushing slightly as she watched Flame walk off. Eventually she turned to go the opposite way, only to forget that there _was_ no opposite way and just a wall, therefore slamming face-first right into it.

"KLUTZ!" Flame called from his distance away, and although he rolled his eyes at her obliviousness he couldn't help but smile like a goofy teenager in love.

-ooo-

Raikou hadn't spoken a word since the capture of Suicune, now suffering through deep depression because of it. Despite that he tried to tell himself that it was going to be okay – that they still had the willpower to go save her along with the other Legendaries (definitely with the fact that Bouldarin and Atsila's tribes had agreed to fight by his side), he was worried what would happen to her during her imprisoned state. What was Terotrey going to do with her, as well as the rest of the Legendaries? His stomach churned like crazy just at the mere tragic possibilities he had concluded.

Standing by him was Deoxys, who, despite that she hadn't known Raikou for very long, could already feel his pain as if she had been a friend to him for years. She had already figured he loved Suicune, and therefore understood the severe misery he was going through in which the fact that he had a relationship with the water dog seemed to amplify it. She could feel herself sigh over and over again, mad that she couldn't be anymore useful beyond helping in battles whenever they came.

Jeff and Skyler were even displaying their own sadness from the conclusion of the previous battle, although they showed determination more than anything else, mainly because they had grown large amounts of hatred for Terotrey because of it. Jeff had even made comments on wanting to see the silver-haired scientist's head on a wooden pike.

Eventually Mewtwo approached them, having just come back from a talk with both Atsila and Bouldarin on what to do next. Raikou showed interest, despite that his droopy eyes begged to differ, while Deoxys kept quiet like a scared witness of a crime, determined to stay out of the way, and Jeff and Skyler were too busy throwing insults at Terotrey to notice that the manmade Pokemon had even left in the first place.

"We have decided that it will be best if _we_ move forward," Mewtwo began, his tone slow with aftermaths of concern, although it was obvious he was trying his best to keep it strong, "just the five of us. We will head towards the mountains where it is believed a Team Rocket base – the one possibly holding the Legendaries – is located. We will get there first and confirm if it is true or not.

"Bouldarin and Atsila have told me that they will indeed serve as our army in this fight. However, they need a few days to prepare, so we're going to go on ahead, confirm the assumption of a base's presence, and then meet them at the rendezvous point, which is the entrance into the mountain valley, where we will pledge our attack."

They all exchanged looks, agreeing with the idea. It would be good for them to move forward in front of everybody to locate and survey the Team Rocket base holding the Legendaries (if, like said, there was one) before meeting up with the army and attacking altogether. Raikou still felt depressed from the capture of Suicune, but knew that this served as his main motivation to stop Terotrey as fast as he could. With now-determined eyes, he nodded in approval.

"So…" Jeff began, his voice dragging purposely. "Does this mean we're going to be, like, kicking some Rocket ass soon?"

Mewtwo, despite the barbaric language the Roselia had used, couldn't help but smirk deviously and slowly nod.

Jeff chuckled. "Heh, awesome."

-ooo-

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**To Be Continued**

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:O

Next chap coming soon!


	14. Betrayal

Hey peoples!

Yay, 100 reviews! Thanks so much, guys! :D

Anyway, as Galbinus has pointed out, this story is starting to reach its end - the final battle is approaching. However, there is still a few small events I want to pull through on before the whole epic Raikou VS Terotrey thing comes up, so let's get started, shall we?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 14: Betrayal****

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**

-ooo-

Raikou and the others had left Bouldarin's cave only a few hours after the sun had risen up from the coast that was opposite from the mountains they were trying to get to. Atsila's tribe, as well as Bouldarin's, had wished the exile the best of luck in finding the Team Rocket base that was hiding the Legendaries, and confirmed that their clans would soon be ready to fight and therefore would meet up with them at the entrance into the mountain valleys.

Now, as the thunder tiger and his allies exited the forest, emerging into a set of mile-long grassy fields, giving them a view of the morning sky above, they felt themselves groan as they realized that the mountains, despite their size, were farther away than imagined. Colors of purple fought with the usual tan hues of the mountains' rock, while mild amethyst took over towards the peaks, where snow was drenched upon from the barricading clouds colliding with them. Underneath the monolithic mountains lay a vast range of canyons – like prickly shrubs below towering trees. With the way the tan rocks rose high, forming trenches between scraggy walls, while crevasses on top led into the said tunnels, the valleys that worked alongside the mountains seemed more like a stone jungle than anything else.

Raikou was very tempted to slap himself in the forehead. No doubt would maneuvering through the valleys, looking for one single base that was probably hidden well within them be challenging; not to mention the possibility that the base was somewhere in the mountains themselves, most likely buried within the snow-capped grounds on the peaks. Mewtwo and Deoxys seemed overwhelmed even, although Jeff and Skyler, due to their severe hatred towards Terotrey, looked prepared to travel to the moon and back if that was what it took to locate the Rocket base. The thunder tiger forced himself to feel the same way, determined to rescue Suicune, as well as the other Legendaries.

Terotrey needed to be stopped, and they all refused to allow natural terrain, of all things, to prevent this.

So, exchanging looks, Raikou put his paw forward, the others doing the same, and the journey began.

Days passed as the exile and his allies trekked across various ground, every step they took bringing themselves closer to the mountains. They passed through manmade towns, although they went around them to avoid being spotted, deciding that human contact would obviously be a bad thing. They walked passed lakes and rivers, stopping for a drink and meal when their stomachs grumbled, but apart from that keeping their attention on the path and their focuses on following it.

As time passed and eventually the valleys grew into view, Raikou and the others held their breaths as they realized that the canyon was longer than they had expected, seeming to stretch for miles ahead. Despite that they were happy they had reached their destination, their determination seemed to be replaced by slight worry at the fact that it would obviously take a while to find the base. Not even an aerial view on everything would help, seeing as how the crevasses in the rock were too deep and narrow to let anything in the air get a proper look.

And time was of precious essence now…

"Oh snap…" was all Jeff could mutter.

-ooo-

Raikou and the others' heads snapped around the deserted-feeling trenches within the valley they had begun walking through. The faint cry of a flying Pokemon could be heard every now and then, echoing throughout the canyon like a stalking vulture among the clear sky, in which the sun seem to dominate alone with no clouds to provide shade from its scolding heat. Of course, with the way the walls that made up the trenches were high, the sandy ground was cold, the air filled with dryness, and Raikou felt somewhat claustrophobic from the fact that the walls seemed packed together.

Eventually they entered a large cave, darkness immediately engulfing them, and the faint glow of the outside exit on the far side provided the only light apart from the way they had entered. It felt dryer in the cave than it did in the exposed heat, but nonetheless comfort enshrouded Raikou and the others since the atmosphere was also cool. Using the far exit as a guide, they maneuvered through the dark cave, cringing slightly whenever they stepped on a sharp rock due to the fact that they could barely see the shadowed ground beneath their feet. In the midst of this, a grunt could be heard from Mewtwo every now and then.

The manmade Pokemon was _really_ starting to get sick of caves.

Jeff and Skyler remained in the back, their expressions reflecting curiosity rather than determination like the others. They found the cave somewhat fascinating, while thinking it was weird that the cavern seemed so large but yet appeared to be deserted. Surely a desert Pokemon trying to escape the heat would've found this place to be paradise…

The Roselia suddenly widened his obsidian orbs when, during their slow wander around the barely-visible sights within the cave, came across two red orbs in the sea of darkness. It felt like heat was radiating from them, and Jeff froze, shivering slightly as the obsidian dots within the red circles focused on him, almost as if they were…

…eyes…

"Look over there, dudes!"

Everybody snapped around to face the Roselia, who was pointing his rose hand towards the darkness a few feet away in which he had seen the floating eyes.

They were gone.

Jeff stuttered over his grumbles of bewilderment as Raikou and the others eyed him with hopelessness. Even Skyler, whom the Roselia had been riding upon, shook his head in slight disappointment, not believing his friend. "You're just hallucinating from the heat, mate…" he muttered, earning a deathly glare from Jeff, although, despite how much he wanted to retort, held in his urge to and kept quiet. Maybe he was just imagining things.

But still…

The Roselia couldn't help but turn to eye the spot as they continued moving, slight worry gracing his eyes.

Unbeknownst to all of them, though, the eyes had returned, staring at them as they headed towards the exit out of the cave. Remaining silent, the owner blinked at the sight before getting up on all fours and slowly moving closer, deciding to linger with them but yet stay far away enough to avoid being detected.

"So, Raikou was the one who has gotten exiled from the Legendary council…" he murmured to himself. "At least I now have someone I can relate to…"

-ooo-

Terotrey Horrifiance darted his eyes between the computer screens among the surveillance room. The room itself was dark, outside light from the window among the door serving as the only source for any apart from the glowing screens of the computers that displayed the views of the cameras within each Legendary holding cell. The scientist was practically part of the shadows, although his eyes, which glowed as well, gave away his position, as did the faint waves of blue from the computers as they reflected off his front. His stern expression tightened as he turned his eyes to the view of the cell that was holding Suicune, as well as Darkrai, Cresselia, and Entei.

He remained silent, the room doing the same despite that the soft purring of computers could be heard. He blinked a few times, his eyes becoming watery and therefore blurry as they bore into the light screens within the dark, although he still managed to keep his view narrowed into piercing proportions. For some reason he was determined to not let the Legendaries out of his sight – to not let them be without his demonic glare, regardless that they were oblivious to the fact that he had the ability to watch them.

He hated Legendaries; he _despised_ them.

To him they were arrogant Pokemon who did not know how to take care of the planet. Every so often they would fight with each other, bringing destruction wherever they went just because they could not settle a simple feud peacefully, but rather viciously like the horrific monsters he was certain they really were.

They wanted to protect the planet – survey the rules of natural balance? Terotrey couldn't help but snort at the thought. If they cared so much about the inhabitants of the planet then they wouldn't have put them in harm's way so many times in the past because they could not get along, leaving it to important Pokemon trainers like Ash Ketchum just to work out the war and save the world when it was the Legendaries' job to do so. It seemed oxymoronic for them to actually be the cause behind the apocalypse, but despite the times they were they had no remorse for what they did, and instead continued with their lives, paying no heed to any creatures lost during their personal vendettas.

The humans of the world never minded this, it seemed, but Terotrey noticed it. He wanted change; he wanted a single Legendary to control all rules of natural balance – one that would not bring death to loom over the world due to a rivalry or stupid mistakes caused by blinding arrogance.

He did not lust for power, even if what he was trying to do seemed to be a weapon to dominate the world. No, he didn't just want that; he wanted more. He wanted to contort the world to his liking – a world without sin where hate was never felt and tears would never be shed. He wanted pain to be nonexistent; he wanted the inhabitants to look up to him like a savior…

…_like a God_.

He wanted the world to cherish _his _name – to know _him_ as their creator. He wanted the Legendaries to only be myths – stories told to children when they couldn't sleep, tales of arrogant creatures that brought the world fear until the reign of Terotrey became its guideline to peace. He wanted to be immortal, living upon the world forever, watching it like father would to a delicate baby, or a king gazing upon his people.

He wanted them to be loyal to him, giving him their blessing, treating him like a God. He wanted to be their hero when there was no one else, and he was determined to take this away from the current Legendaries.

Because, to him, the Legendaries deserved nothing but to be just that:

_Legends_.

Terotrey surfaced from his thoughts when the door opened, allowing none other than Giovanni Rocket through, whose stern expression barely outmatched the one planted on the silver-haired scientist's face. He didn't bother to turn and face the leader of Team Rocket, instead keeping his narrowed eyes on the various screens in front of him, passing an equal amount of glares between them. Giovanni didn't mind his purposed ignorance, although the man's gritted teeth seem to signify conflict of some sort with the scientist.

Terotrey had yet to inform Giovanni of his real plan – to tell him the truth that he hadn't been working alongside the boss, but instead only using him to help fulfill his own intentions. Giovanni was unaware that Terotrey found no satisfaction in helping him achieve world domination, and was only determined to gain control of the role of God among the universe with or without his will. When the silver-haired scientist finally turned to face Giovanni, it was obvious from the boss's now snarling expression had he finally realized that Terotrey was indeed betraying him.

"I know you have been lying to me, Terotrey," the old boss spat, although he kept the voice of his tone under a civilized manner. "I've heard you talk with the grunts on an intention different than from what we agreed on."

Despite his serious expression, Terotrey couldn't help but throw his head back to let out a harsh laugh. He then turned his maroon eyes to Giovanni, his vile frown returning. "Can you not see what one can do with the power of the Legendaries?" he retorted viciously. "They can bring so much more than just domination over the planet…they can bring a new beginning – a new way of life! A life much better than the one we're in now!"

"And why would we need this?" Giovanni replied, eyes narrowing.

Terotrey snarled, as if he had been provoked to let out his true feelings - to reveal his hidden emotions. "_Because the world has gone to hell_!"

Giovanni swallowed his tongue, not expecting such an answer that would seem to come from the mouth of some sort of harmonizer.

"Everyday you wake up," the silver-haired scientist began, his voice deep with anger, yet carrying more emotion than ever as he slowly started to pace a circle around the boss, "what's the first thing you hear on the news?"

Giovanni remained silent, his stern expression tight, shooting a glare at Terotrey as the silver-haired scientist chuckled sarcastically towards the rhetorical question.

"'A young girl found raped and murdered by the town's creek'?" he started again, hues of what looked like slight insanity growing across his glowing eyes, causing them to brighten into scarlet. "Or perhaps you get a call from your sister, telling you her boyfriend broke up with her and she no longer finds her life worth living? It must be terrible to know that your sister committed suicide due to a simple case of deep depression!

"Well, I can't take it anymore! I'm sick of seeing bad news everywhere I go – I'm sick of knowing that there are Legendaries watching over us, but yet if they're supposed to be protecting us, then why the hell aren't they preventing this kind of stuff from happening, huh? Can you answer me _that_, Giovanni?"

Giovanni no longer looked angry, but instead surprised, stunned by the angry outburst from Terotrey that still seemed to be emotional on a high level. All he could do was slightly gape his mouth.

Ignoring his shocked expression, Terotrey continued to pace, his mouth snarling, his narrowed eyes producing pure hatred. "They allow evil to rest upon the world in order to balance out that which is good…" he then muttered quietly, as if he had calmed down. He turned his head to Giovanni, and the boss only gasped at the sight of Terotrey's face contorted with furiousness. "THAT IS A BUNCH OF TAUROS SHIT!"

Terotrey returned his eyes to the floor like a predator scanning for prey. It seems he was no longer proud at the fact that Giovanni was oblivious to his betrayal, but now seemed determined to reveal his thoughts and opinions as if it was the most important thing in the world. The silver-haired scientist had even snatched a metal pole from a group of them in the corner, which were used to usher Pokemon into different cages. "They say there is an equal amount of good and evil…" he added in a saddened whisper, his back facing Giovanni, who was staring at him with bewilderment. "But now I only see evil…never any good…

"I will create a world without sin – a world without pain or suffering…a world made for good…a world under my control – not any other's.

"Legendaries will be nonexistent – only one, and that will be me. I have destined myself to bring this world into the light – to fix the chaos the current Legendaries never bother to prevent. Evil will not be tolerated." He chuckled slightly, although it was obvious it wasn't for humorous purposes. "I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand…all you bring is pain to others…"

Giovanni blinked, finally noticing that he was referring to him.

"…a world without sin begins with the destruction of those who bring suffering."

And as that last sentence poured from Terotrey's lips, the silver-haired scientist suddenly swung around, bringing his pole with him and slamming the end right into Giovanni's face.

-ooo-

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**To Be Continued

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**

The next chapter will be up soon - I already have it half written. The mysterious figure following Raikou and the others will soon be revealed, yay!


	15. Similarity

Hey peoples!

Enjoy the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon, or the 300 line, or Grey's Anatomy, or Desperate Housewives. Gees...

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**Chapter 15: Similarity****

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**

-ooo-

The ground…it was hot underneath his padded footing.

A Lucario bounced across the valley rocks, eyes narrowed into slits, partially because of the blaring sunlight, and also to help focus on any far sights across the canyon that were blurred behind burning air. The aura Pokemon could feel his breath become hard to exhale; fatigue was taking over, and the heat around him seemed to even radiate off the small stream below a large trench, which was the reason why he didn't bother to lower himself to drink some refreshing water.

His scarlet eyes were bright, yet somehow dimmed simultaneously from the seriousness that had placed a frown across his snout. He kneeled down after landing on a sturdy rock somewhat leaning over a deep crevasse, giving his aching legs a rest, allowing himself to calm down since he had pushed his muscles to the limit in order to increase his running speed. He knew all too well that his fur, which consisted of colors from goldenrod on his torso, to cerulean skimming his upper legs and arms before obsidian took over, was not built to keep away heat. In fact, it attracted it, only adding to the harsh turmoil his bare skin was already going through.

He could not avoid this, though, seeing as how the valley was his current home. He did not carry attributes to live in desert-like conditions, but even then he had a reason for staying – a reason the being he could see looking over the valley a few yards away had told him.

With a look of determination gracing his eyes he ignored the stinging pain that brought weakness to his legs and performed one last leap towards the said figure, who was keeping his orbs of scarlet and ebony onto a group of Pokemon that could be seen traveling down a rocky path not too far away. Only when the Lucario landed beside the toad-like Pokemon did he bring his eyes to him, greeting him silently before returning his glare towards the leader of the Pokemon below – Raikou.

The Lucario displayed slight shock as he finally noticed the Pokemon within the group, and for the sake of it he kneeled down slightly, allowing the edge he was looking over to hide his humanoid body. His expression of surprise died down slightly, although he seemed nervous somewhat, delicately moving his paws to the side as if he was scared to cause a small pebble to fall down the trench, which would alert Raikou and his traveling companions that Pokemon were spying on them from above.

"Have you been following them?" the Lucario then brought himself to ask the large toad-like Pokemon next to him. Only a few seconds after his question did he turn his head to face him, admiring how serious the Pokemon's narrowed eyes portrayed themselves to be.

The toad-like Pokemon seemed to sigh, although he eventually nodded, which, coming from him, seemed weird since he lacked a neck. "I believe Raikou is the one who has gotten exiled, Drendan."

Drendan the Lucario turned his eyes downward in the act of pondering. Raikou was the one who had gotten exiled from the council? The thunder tiger was the one whom Terotrey had ignored, therefore signaling he lacked what the silver-haired scientist wanted, which had brought Drendan to believe he was no longer a Legendary? The Pokemon next to him had assumed the same ever since they both began watching the events that happened near the Rocket base within the valley. In the midst of this they had overheard from conversing Rocket grunts that Terotrey desired Legendary essence, and it wasn't long before the news of Raikou's worthlessness spread throughout the building.

"You think Raikou wasn't captured because he lacks his essence?" the Lucario then questioned, this time not turning to eye the lava toad beside him. He, too, kept his eyes on Raikou, his voice coming out as a whisper to avoid detection. He actually didn't need proof, as with his aura powers he could sense that the thunder tiger below was missing the strong semblance Legendaries held, and it didn't take a genius to figure that Raikou was here to rescue the captured Legendaries from the base.

"Yes," was all the following answer contained. The lava toad seemed calm, which most usually conjured the fact that his old age was the cause.

Drendan shifted weight between his shoulders. "Do you think we should help him rescue the Legendaries?"

The question had come out with slight emotion, as the Lucario knew any reference to the Legendaries brought the lava toad to reflect on past incidents. Drendan was sure that, because of this, the lava toad next to him was going to tell him to stay out of the way, and that helping the Legendaries would not benefit them in any way. However, the answer that came from the lava toad's mouth brought the Lucario to display slight awe.

"We will help in anyway we can, because I know what it feels like to be banned from the council."

Drendan forced his mouth closed, and eventually nodded as he turned his eyes towards Raikou and his companions, who were entering another cave, obviously searching for the Rocket base. As the Lucario stood up, allowing his scarlet eyes to meet the matching ones of the toad-like Pokemon next to him, they both set off down the trench and after the exile.

-ooo-

"The essence extraction process is ready, Terotrey."

Terotrey Horrifiance allowed his maroon eyes to open into narrowed slits, instantly focusing their piercing glare towards the grunt that had entered his office, appearing more nervous than usual. The silver-haired scientist already assumed it was from the fact that their previous leader, Giovanni, had nearly been decapitated earlier that day, but was instead thrown into a holding cell with his face smashed in. Immediately the grunts took a liking towards Terotrey, as they had been doing since he first 'joined' the team, although now he had taken over the role of the organization's boss. It didn't take much to convince the current members to follow him, as he promised them riches beyond their wildest dreams and other goods that would prove worthy of their contribution to the plan of creating a world without sin.

Besides, they were too scared to fight Terotrey anyway.

The man had proven himself to be a monster – a demon rather than the God he was trying to make himself become. He was blinded by his need to fulfill his plot, which meant he tolerated no one that said otherwise, giving them no mercy and usually very tempted to kill them on the spot because of this.

Now, however, his experiment to turn himself into a Legendary that would hold all controls to natural balance was only a few more days away from completion. All he needed to do was extract the Legendary essence from the captive Legendaries and then go on from there.

"Which Legendary should we extract the essence from first?"

Terotrey was snapped away from his thoughts as the grunt suddenly asked the question, and with a smug frown he stood up from his chair, bringing his arms to cross in front of his chest. He really had no bias when it came to which Legendary he would want to suck the energy from first, although he decided to go with the one he admired the most, and as he murmured his answer the grunt saluted in approval before running out of the room like a child trying to escape an angry parent.

"Bring me Darkrai."

-ooo-

Raikou and the others groaned slightly as they entered into yet another cave. They had been walking through trenches, trenches, and more trenches over the last few hours, and they all were tired, nearly dehydrated, and aching in places that made them want to fall over and faint right then and there. Mewtwo, despite how he always strived himself to be strong in even the toughest of situations, felt like he was going to die any second, while Deoxys was displaying the same symptoms, although she managed to confine it all into a simple limp in her step.

Skyler the Flygon couldn't help but pant slightly regardless that his species were built to live in the desert. Of course, ever since he met Jeff, who was lying on top of his head, his rose hands dangling from the sides since he was too weak to lift them, he had lived in the forest with the Roselia, and now his body seemed to had forgotten all the instincts it held when it came to surviving in a dry area.

"This sucks," Jeff commented, his voice becoming muffled from the fact that his face was buried into Skyler's warm and somewhat damp scales. "This sucks worse than the season finale of _May's Anatomy_ – oh, and _Desperate Gym-wives_."

"It feels like we've been walking for days," Raikou muttered, trying endlessly to convince himself that the Legendaries needed to be saved, although the scolding heat made his vision blur and head feel light and dizzy. Mewtwo tried to come up with a comeback, some sort of assurance to announce that would take the others' minds off the heat, although he couldn't even take his own mind off the temperature to think about a way to take everyone else's minds off the temperature.

Jeff tried his best to raise his hand, but wound up falling over again, nearly slipping off of Skyler's head in the process. "Us Roselias weren't built for the desert," he mumbled. "We were built to live in trees…and shrubs…and plants…and green -"

Jeff had fainted before he could finish his sentence.

Before any more comments could be made, the sound of tumbling pebbles echoed throughout the cave, bringing Raikou and the others to an instant stop. Darkness engulfed practically everything, and therefore it was hard to determine what was what. Silence dominated Raikou as he, frozen in the process of placing his paw on the ground, wandered his eyes over the sea of black that surrounded him, looking for any signs of what could've caused the noise.

Nothing; it was quiet after that, as if only a ghost had made the sound.

Raikou felt suspicion rise from within him, but eventually shook it away as he turned his head to eye the others, who he assumed were behind him. "It's nothing guys, let's just -"

He was cut off when the familiar screeching sound similar to dozens of activated smoke detectors filled the air, waking Jeff up while the others lunged towards the ground to cover their ears. Simultaneous to this, the cold feeling of fear washed through their muscles, as they knew that only one possible being made such a sound.

Robotic Pokemon.

As if on cue a red, electronic eye appeared in the middle of the darkness to the side, eventually lighting up brighter to where it illuminated the owner's face. A robotic Blaziken stared angrily at Raikou and the others' frozen figures, and it wasn't long after that before dozens of electronic red eyes appeared from behind it, all becoming illuminated in an eerie crimson glow and therefore revealing that a large number of robots were standing not too far away from the Blaziken. Ironically the only thing that came as a vocal response from Raikou and the others emitted from Jeff's gaped mouth.

"Aw crap."

Immediately the robots roared in anger, some leaning forward to add emphasis to their intimidation.

"RUN, MATES!" Skyler screamed, and Raikou and the others trampled over their own feet as they snapped around to the opposite side and took off for the first exit they could see – a large opening that led deeper into the caves.

With their breaths quickening, they rocketed down the tunnel, Mewtwo and Deoxys staying somewhat behind to launch psychic attacks towards the robots that were now chasing after them. Only some were knocked back, however, which brought the manmade and space Pokemon to give up and instead run ahead to catch up with the others.

They didn't know where they were going – only the fact that they needed to get away from the robotic Pokemon, who showed no signs of ceasing their determined attempts to catch them. Skyler looked back, only to squeal when he realized that a robotic Nidoking was right on his tail. Jeff, on the other hand, was too busy trying to hold onto one of the Flygon's antennas, which were dashing around like crazy during the heated chase. The Roselia, despite that he was practically dangling off of it now, held on through the whiplashes and stomach-churning turns as they all ran deeper into the caverns.

"Sick! I'm gonna be sick!" he cried as he was flung around while holding onto Skyler's antenna for dear life.

Raikou and the others continued down the caves, ignoring how amazingly deep they ran on. They took quick turns around every corner, sometimes jumping down holes even, advancing more underground to where it was miraculous if they could see anything at all. The robot Pokemon continued to chase them, however, displaying no symptoms of fatigue while Raikou and the others were still tired from the traveling they had done previously.

Eventually in the midst of the chaos, Skyler and Jeff were separated from the group – as they ran close behind Mewtwo, the floor gave out to them and they were sent tumbling down a hole and into an even bigger cavern underneath. They moaned as they recovered from the impact, examining their surroundings for the few seconds they had before they learned that some of the robotic Pokemon had noticed this and were going in after them.

Jeff and Skyler panicked, not knowing what to do. That is, until Jeff noticed there was a deep ditch in front of them, in which the ground was so smooth it was almost as if it was…

Jeff smiled, coming up with a plan.

"FOR SPARTA!" Jeff cried out, and before Skyler could quirk his eyebrow at the randomness of the battle cry, Jeff rammed into him, bringing them both over the ledge and down the slide-like ditch.

The robotic Pokemon ran up to the edge, eyeing the Roselia and Flygon viciously as the two said Pokemon began to roll down the ditch as if it was a wide slide. Without question the robots jumped down and allowed themselves to slide after them.

Jeff gasped when he noticed this, and leaned in to increase his sliding speed, although, in the midst of this, he and Skyler lost their control and began to swerve around, losing all sense of direction as the cold wind of fast movement brushed across their faces. This didn't calm them, though, as their yelps of help echoed throughout the cavern, the robotic Pokemons' screeches following shortly after.

Soon the slide broke out into two separate tunnels, and Jeff and Skyler split apart unwillingly, each going into one. An even number of the robots chasing them broke up as well and took their choice of targets and therefore tunnels.

Jeff screamed as he whizzed through his tunnel, sliding all over the place. He worried about Skyler, not being able to see him through the thick wall of stone that separated their pathways, but before he even noticed the robots above sliding after him, his tunnel suddenly broke off into another large room…

…right at the top.

The Roselia screamed like crazy as he then free-fell down the vertical tunnel, flailing his rose hands around. It wasn't long before he started to smack into ledges that hung off the wall, immediately ricocheting from them and continuing his tumble down the tunnel, in which he emitted painful moans during.

He slammed into one ledge.

"Ow, my brain!"

He slammed into another one.

"Ow, my petals!"

He slammed into another one.

"Ow, my nostril!"

He slammed into another one.

"OW, MY FOOT!"

Before he could tumble down anymore, he felt himself be picked up by strong arms, and hurting in every inch of his body he could only groggily open his obsidian eyes to identify his savior, hoping slightly that it wasn't a robotic Pokemon.

It was…a Lucario?

Indeed that's what was now carrying him in his arm, and with determined scarlet eyes the aura Pokemon jumped from ledge to ledge, lowering into the tunnel in a slower, organized, and less painful way than Jeff had been forced to endure. The Roselia was dizzy beyond what he could control, and as he noticed that an unconscious Flygon was occupying the Lucario's other arm, Jeff felt darkness overtake his sight.

-ooo-

Raikou felt constant worry when he realized Skyler and Jeff were absent from the group. He, Mewtwo, or Deoxys didn't have time to ponder on their location, though, as they were still running down the tunnels, trying to escape the robotic Pokemon that were chasing after them. Even with the fact that they felt they had been running for hours, the robotic Pokemon displayed no tiredness, which only added more hardship to the moment of trying to outrun their advanced speed.

They suddenly stopped, however, when a wall appeared in front of them after they took the last turn they could find. They could feel their hearts plummet as they gazed upon the barrier of dirt and rock, and only slowly turned to the approaching robotic Pokemon with pure horror overlapping their glossy eyes.

They had come to a dead end.

There was no way to escape now, apart from fight and hope they could break a hole into the robots' numbers and run back the way they came. However, they were all too tired; not to mention not even powerful enough to keep two or three of them down for more than a minute or two. Despite that they refused to give up hope, they couldn't think of a way to escape –

They gasped when one robotic Pokemon was suddenly flung forward, the strike that caused it to go flying towards them, slamming painfully into the wall, came from behind, so immediately all eyes turned towards there.

Standing behind the robotic Pokemon, its red eyes with black pupils casting a vicious glance towards them, was a large toad-like Pokemon. Apart from its skin, which was red with bright orange splotches – similar to the exterior of raging lava, its head appeared to be made of stone, the same going for other parts of its four-legged body. Its eyes glowed like fire, as if flames served as its irises, illuminating the air around them.

Without muttering a simple word, the lava toad pushed its head up as high as its hunched, neck-less body would allow, only to lash it forward once again, this time opening its large jaw and allowing the vast amount of lava it had vomited up to pour across the floor. The robotic Pokemon screeched in slight alarm, jumping up as the wave of melted rock crawled towards them, bringing them to fall back as they felt their metallic appendages begin to heat up from the exposure. It wasn't long before they flew down the tunnel in a desperate attempt to escape the sudden rise of temperature.

Raikou and the others blinked in surprise as they gazed upon the lava toad, who placed its claw into the lava, which, instead of deteriorating its skin like it would any other creature who tried the same thing, managed to cause the whole wave to solidify into black rock. This made it safe for the exile and his companions to come closer, which they did, as the lava toad that had saved them approached as well.

Although Mewtwo and Deoxys displayed bewilderment towards the lava toad's unknown identity, Raikou gaped in awe as its name came back to him.

"_H-Heatran_?"

The lava toad brought his eyes downward, appearing transfixed on something important in his mind, while Mewtwo walked forward towards Raikou.

"You know him?" he then inquired, eyebrow quirked, obviously wanting answers as Deoxys did behind him.

"Yeah," the thunder tiger answered somewhat happily, as if he was relieved it was someone he knew. "He's a Legendary."

Deoxys now stepped forward, her own question coming to mind. "If he's a Legendary then why hasn't he been captured yet?"

Before the thunder tiger could respond, Heatran replied, emitting an answer that drove Mewtwo and Deoxys into shock, as well as dishearten Raikou slightly as he suddenly remembered that such a thing had happened.

"Because, like Raikou, I was exiled from the Legendary council."

-ooo-

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**To Be Continued

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**

Heatran! 8D

-glomps-

Anyway, apart from that, a lot of questions rose from within this chapter, and they will be answered in the next!

Hmm, I really like the name 'Drendan'...heh.


	16. Admittance

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 16: Admittance****

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**

-ooo-

"Are you okay?"

Mewtwo blinked, slight surprise gracing his expression, although when he turned to the source of the noise and his eyes came in contact with Deoxys', it quickly died down to one fit for a serious inventor. He turned his orbs away to think, focusing them on the cool ground of the caverns, and they glowed slightly in the darkness that engulfed everything, seething through the cracks between the stalactites above. Deoxys' words sprang through his mind like a lingering echo, and it wasn't hard to compare them to the current situation, as well as come up with a plausible reason why she had said them in a soft murmur.

"I mean…" she then began, keeping her telepathic voice quiet, also turning her eyes to the ground as if it would help her come up with the right words to say. Behind her in a somewhat-large room was a fire blazing upon a small pile of dead wood, around it being an exhausted Raikou and Heatran, while a Lucario called Drendan had come in not too long ago and brought Jeff and Skyler, who were unconscious from the previous robot chase, to rest near the fire until they woke. Silence had dominated the group as they relaxed, pushing their troubles aside to give their muscles and minds the recovery they needed, as well as thrive in a moment where no robotic Pokemon were in sight.

Of course, Heatran had led the group deeper into the caverns after he had chased away the robots, bringing the group into a cool room where only the splashes of microscopic-sized water droplets could be heard as they fell from the tips of the rocky spikes above. Apparently the cold sanctuary was where Heatran resided among the caverns, seeing as how Drendan, who was his ally, instantly knew where it was located.

"What?" Mewtwo then cut her off, although it seemed to be only a simple mutter to egg Deoxys' words out faster. He had gotten up while the group relaxed around the fire, walking into the shadowed corner to sort out his thoughts, and it didn't take much to convince Deoxys to follow him with slight interest. The manmade Pokemon had brought his eyes to her, eyebrow on the verge of quirking, his voice also quiet to avoid interrupting the peaceful moments between their allies around the campfire.

Deoxys sighed, although she only moved closer to him, eventually standing right by his side, bringing herself to lean up against the wall as he was doing. "You look kind of distant…" she finished, her voice trailing off to make room for his immediate response.

However, instead of emitting a reply on the spot like he usually would in a similar situation, Mewtwo turned his eyes downward once again, this time remaining silent for a few seconds. He didn't notice Deoxys' eyes settle on him, implications of compassion gracing them as she found herself worrying for his status. It was obvious the whole group was shaken up due to recent incidents, but while the others relaxed around the fire Mewtwo had broken away from them and moved towards the far corner to ponder on unknown thoughts.

"I'm just thinking," was all he answered simply, his tone filled with slight drag. In fact, he seemed more exhausted than the others, although he had rather find separate room to sort out his thoughts than actually try to get some rest, which such a thing brought Deoxys to mentally scold him. It appeared that he was pushing himself to be the 'plan maker' of the group, therefore depriving himself of relaxation of any sort in order to decide what they were all going to do from here. Despite how helpful his suggestions had been, Deoxys knew that Mewtwo needed to get rid of his current stress instead of adding more while trying to ponder on new ideas for the future.

Of course, to avoid the risk of angering him, she chose to keep her complaints to herself unless they were needed to settle a debate.

"About what?" she replied, somewhat narrowing her eyes since annoyance from before was still present. She managed to suppress expressing it by emitting more sighs, though.

Mewtwo shifted the weight between his shoulders, as well as within his legs seeing as how he had been standing for quite some time. "I'm trying to decide what we're going to do after this," he muttered (Deoxys rolled her eyes; how typical, she thought), his sagging voice signaling his tiredness of doing the aforementioned. Deoxys could tell he was trying to hide it behind the closing of his eyes and the serious expression on his face, regardless that his gritted teeth pretty much broadcasted his exhaustion like the colossal neon sign of a new casino.

Deoxys felt herself scoff, and she couldn't help but bring her thoughts into the open. "Well, idea or no idea, you need to get some sleep."

Mewtwo's eyes flew open at the tone of the space Pokemon's voice, which would've fit a mother scolding her ignorant children. He was tempted to meet her gaze, although he didn't want to face her in case she suddenly carried a demonic glint among her eyes, which becoming frightened by a female would add to the tribulations he was going through, such as the severe headache his brain was racking since he had thought on things a little too hard. Of course, despite his urge to grab his head because of this, he ignored his reflex and instead kept his hand behind his back to decrease suspicion.

Then again, he was just trying to figure why Deoxys was even caring in the first place. Sure the space Pokemon had become friends with the whole group, but he had noticed that she seem to pay a lot more attention to him than anybody else…

…not like he hated it or anything.

Of course, he appreciated her generosity, and how she had watched over him during the recent journey, correcting him on mistakes he had made, may they have been misinterpreted information to simple speech impingements. He knew that when she said she had been watching over the Earth before touching down, she hadn't been kidding. The extraterrestrial Pokemon seemed to know a lot more about planet Earth's many features than he himself, which was rare for him to admit since he became somewhat arrogant when the subject of better knowledge was pointed at. Like her, he was hungry to learn, which probably explained why he spent most of his time reading books than doing anything else.

"Why do you care?" he then found himself replying, eyes narrowing to the extent of hers, which didn't seem to intimidate her since her hands had placed themselves on her hips, only adding to her strict countenance. It didn't take much for his stoic expression to quickly contort into one of slight shock when she suddenly stepped forward, jabbing her index finger right in front of his widened eyes.

"Stress kills," she hissed, getting her point across by placing her face right in front of his, the facial fur around his slightly-gaped mouth only centimeters away from her smooth skin. Despite that his hot breath danced across her jaw line because of this, her serious expression remained strong, the gaze of her eyes impaling into his like spears. "And it's not healthy for you to be pushing yourself like this when you don't even need to." She threw her hands up in the air like a hyper psychopath, her next words carrying a scolding tone as well. "Do you want to grow a brain tumor and die?"

Mewtwo quirked his eyebrow. "You are surely kidding, Deoxys."

Deoxys groaned in annoyance towards his arrogance, therefore turning around and crossing her arms. "No, I'm not."

Mewtwo frowned, slightly offended.

Rolling his eyes, he then turned around, his back facing hers since he was about to walk away in search of a different, more isolated spot to think in. Of course, before he could take one step forward, he suddenly felt two hands grab his shoulders, the thumb on each one beginning to stroke the skin there harshly. He cringed slightly in pain, although as he felt the thumbs rub deeper into his skin as if trying to stretch out the knotted, tensed muscles, he could feel calmness overcome him, his arms falling forward from relaxation and therefore dangling at his sides. He didn't even realize that a smile of comfort had graced his mouth, his eyes becoming droopy in the wake.

That is, until he turned his gaze to notice that Deoxys was the one digging her thumbs into his back, her narrowed eyes focused on her hands as she pushed the stress away from his muscles. He barely mumbled a "What are you doing," in the midst of it, his voice coming out as an incoherent gurgle since, for once, tiredness was allowed to take over him seeing as how the barricading tension had been stroked away.

"It's called a massage," she answered simply, apparently understanding his jumbled words. Anger from before was still present, although now her voice was calm and straight to the point. "Humans do it to others in order to relieve stress and help them relax."

"I…I told you I wasn't stressed…"

"Tauros feces," she replied in a somewhat sing-song tone, continuing with her work.

Before Mewtwo could mumble out a retort, he groaned slightly in fatigue, and before he knew it he fell backwards right into Deoxys' arms, which she widened her eyes slightly as his unexpected action brought her to the ground and against the wall with him in her hold. As she regained her thoughts from the small tumble, she lowered her eyes downward…

…and only to spot Mewtwo's head on her lap, his expression calm and chest slowly rising and falling since he had fallen asleep. She stayed silent, somewhat amazed how soft his expression was able to become when he, for once, wasn't forcing himself to think hard. If she had a mouth she would be smiling softly, and as her hand came up to slowly stroke the fur on his forehead in an affectionate manner, her next words slid out as a caring whisper.

"You need _someone_ to look out for ya, you big jughead."

-ooo-

Jeff's eyes slowly opened, his lips smacking together to disperse any dryness that rested on them. His vision was blurry, and because of the small implications of pain that still lingered within his tiny muscles, he looked droopier than usual. He felt slightly nauseous from it all, and in case his food from that earlier morning was preparing to rocket up his esophagus and out his mouth, he leaned forward from his leaning position. He could sense vibrations of heat dance on his back, and after recognizing the cavern background that surrounded him, he turned his head around, noticing that a campfire was only a few feet away.

All the Roselia could remember was being chased by robotic Pokemon, falling down a vertical tunnel, and then being saved by a humanoid being.

Out of suffering from slight disorientation, he brought his head forward once again to its original position, only then to notice that a pair of black feet was right in front of his tiny legs. Fear rose within him, and Jeff slowly turned his eyes upward, following the legs to the blue hips, up the goldenrod torso, and finally to the jackal-like head of the Lucario that was now gazing down upon him with what seemed like a mixture of disappointment and puzzlement.

Jeff squeaked.

"HOLY HECK IT'S ANUBIS!" the Roselia then cried out, scared, stumbling to get up and running away from the stranger aura Pokemon, who was now displaying more bewilderment than anything else. The grass type didn't even notice Skyler, who was still knocked out and was also resting by the fire, place his tail in front of him absentmindedly, therefore making the poor rose Pokemon trip over it and smack face-first into a hard surface.

Jeff groaned slightly as he recovered from the collision, bringing his eyes to identify what he had run into. Before he could do anything, two red and black eyes were staring down on him with slight curiosity, the four-legged owner's leg readjusting itself since the Roselia had crashed into it. Of course, due to the being's size, it had only felt like a weak tap to him.

Then again, the Roselia that was Jefferson only stared horrifically at him for three more seconds before all hell seemed to break loose.

"OH MY ARCEUS IT'S A FAT TOAD THING!"

Jeff immediately rushed up again and ran the other way. Heatran stared at him, this time looking slightly offended at the 'fat' part of the Roselia's cry, which explained why he displayed obvious amusement as Drendan rolled his eyes in annoyance in the midst of trying to catch the Roselia and calm him down.

It wasn't long, though, before Jeff caught sight of Raikou, who had been watching the whole performance with his own humorous look grazing his eyes. The Roselia didn't care, and instead ran behind the thunder tiger's foreleg, shivering like crazy as he turned his black eyes to gaze at the Lucario that had been chasing him.

"These guys saved us, Jeff," Raikou chuckled, raising his foreleg and therefore taking away the Roselia's hiding spot. Jeff was still shaking in fear, although with the exile's soothing words he seemed to calm slightly, which brought Drendan to cease his attempt to explain and instead sit down by the fire, the flames reflecting off of his scarlet eyes. Heatran narrowed his own orbs, the cackles of the fire yet again becoming the only sound in the area, and the lava toad relaxed while Raikou told Jeff about the current situation.

Afterwards, Jeff rubbed the back of his head in slight bashfulness. "Sorry about being scared of you, dudes, and thanks for saving us."

Drendan nodded slightly, while Heatran kept his eyes on the campfire.

"So…" the Roselia then began, turning his gaze towards the lava toad. "Raikou told me you got exiled too, dude. Like, how'd that happen?"

Raikou exchanged glances with Drendan, both of whom kept quiet and decided to allow the lava toad to tell his own story. Heatran didn't seem to mind about having to explain, as he knew that his new allies needed to know. His eyes narrowed into slits, his expression growing serious as he gazed upon the simmering flames in front of him.

"The reason behind my exile was similar to Raikou's," he began, tone calm and quiet like the swaying motions of the fire. In fact, his voice seemed to work alongside the dancing blazes, the flames reaching high whenever his voice gained harshness, but yet dying down when his vocals contorted into murmurs. "A while ago, in my original home of Stark Mountain, hundreds of Pokemon resided in the forests that surrounded it.

"As a Legendary, it was partially my job to keep them all safe. However, it wasn't long before Team Galactic – who is a rivaling organization to Team Rocket that resides here in Sinnoh – learned of my existence. As with every crime syndicate that is obsessed with gaining dominance over the world with powerful Pokemon, they sent dozens of scouts towards my area, trying to capture me.

"The fight between us…it took place in the forests with the Pokemon, and seeing as how I was their protector they offered to help me defend the area.

"The battle was going according to plan – the Galactic scouts were being pushed back successfully, and I knew that their attempt to capture me was futile. Because of this…well…I got cocky."

Heatran turned his eyes to Raikou, even more sternness radiating from them.

"The Legendaries are the most powerful creatures on Earth, are they not?" he continued, gaze returning to the flame at the rhetorical question. "With so much power it would be oxymoronic for each one _not_ to display some arrogance every now and then. However, like Raikou, I abused this – I abused it heavily.

"My arrogance and stupidity took over. Even when the Galactic scouts began to retreat I wanted to prove to them never to mess with the likes of me again. I provoked them, endangering the Pokemon I was sworn to protect, and it didn't take much to anger them enough to risk sending a full-fledged attack. I wasn't prepared for such a thing – the reinforcements came in unexpectedly when the Pokemon that helped me were still trying to recover from the previous battle. Because of this, we weren't strong enough to fight back that time.

"Many Pokemon died, and although I was able to escape before I was captured, parts of the forest were left in flames, killing even more. The only thing I did was run like a coward.

"A few days later when the Pokemon of the forest began their long road to recovery, I didn't dare go back. Instead I returned to the Hall of Legends to face trial for the incident, and because of my arrogance, which led to the death of innocent Pokemon, I was exiled from the council permanently.

"I didn't bother to return to Stark Mountain. I knew that every Pokemon there would hate me if I did. So, instead I came here to the valleys below the mountains to start a new life – a barren location where it would be easy to hide and be forgotten about."

At the end of the tale even Drendan and Raikou, who had already known it, were left with gaped mouths. Jeff nearly fell backwards from it all, his eyes widened and breath quickened. This seemed to depress Heatran even more, and he turned away, obviously ashamed. However, his next words came in the form of a firm admittance.

"Raikou…you always scold yourself for your arrogance, believing that it was your fault behind the accidents that led to your exile. Yes, it unfortunately was, but yet you admit to your wrongdoings…"

Raikou cocked his head slightly, unfamiliar with this part of the tale, and interested to learn what the lava toad was trying to say.

Heatran sighed, bringing his eyes to the thunder tiger once again. "I always hated the Legendaries for when they banned me. I was blinded by my own selfishness, actually thinking that I did not deserve my punishment, and only Team Galactic was the one who should have been blamed.

"Now, however, I know why I was exiled. It was my fault just as much as Team Galactic's, and therefore I belong as an exile, hidden away from others – set to be only a actual legend passed between Pokemon.

"You, though, Raikou, have always thought you deserved your fate, and such a thing as taking responsibility for your actions and trying your best to learn and fix them makes you the least arrogant Pokemon I know…"

As Heatran then smiled slightly, Raikou soon found himself doing so as well.

"That's awesome, dude," Jeff commented, smiling like an immature child. His expression suddenly turned serious, though, as an old thought came up. "Um, dudes, didn't you say you knew something about that Terotrey dude?"

Heatran, Drendan, and Raikou blinked in realization, finally remembering the most important case here. Heatran nodded to Drendan, who got up, and with his own stoic expression began to explain that as well.

"The truth is…we know the location of the Rocket base."

-ooo-

The air within the holding cell that contained the cages of Darkrai and Cresselia, along with Entei and now Suicune since she had placed in the same cage as his had grown quiet. This was because the Legendaries inside had fallen asleep, all exhausted from worrying what was to come, as well as trying to assure each other everything was going to be all right despite. Darkrai was leaning up against Cresselia, who had her head resting on top of his almost as if she was trying to show affection even when they were sleeping. Suicune and Entei were snuggled up together, Entei laying his head over Suicune's neck like an overprotective father, which Suicune usually dubbed him as.

It wasn't long before Darkrai shook himself awake, silently moving Cresselia's head to rest upon the ground so he could move around and stretch out his cramped limbs. He yawned slightly, casting a quick loving glance towards Cresselia before checking on Entei and Suicune, who only sighed in their sleep every now and then. The fire lion was displaying a small smile, possibly from the fact that he was reunited with Suicune, although the said water dog seemed to be facing conflict among her dreams. Darkrai could tell that she was dreaming about Raikou – her need to see him again, perhaps.

The nightmare Legendary could feel himself sigh as he brought a claw up to take care of an itch on his back, but nonetheless remained quiet to avoid disturbing the others.

"'Rai?"

Darkrai blinked, turning to the source of the soft whisper, soon staring at Cresselia as she stretched out her neck. Turning his darkened eyes into a loving gaze he quickly floated towards her and planted a soft kiss against her lips, which was what human couples usually did in the morning, although they couldn't really tell if it was morning or not. The metallic swan then nuzzled into him, and he could feel warmth flutter through him as he gave equal affection back.

Feelings of worry had grown larger ever since the arrival of Suicune. They did believe Raikou had a chance to rescue them, but sure enough their hopes had grown dim – even Suicune was displaying doubt, although she refused to give up. Of course, Darkrai was just happy to be with Cresselia, and therefore hadn't thought much of it since his confession.

They were about to lean into each other for another kiss when the door suddenly flung open, awaking Entei and Suicune, who snapped their heads around instantly, although all eyes turned to Terotrey Horrifiance when he emerged into the room. Immediately vicious snarls emitted from the water dog and fire lion, while Darkrai, on instant reaction, pushed Cresselia behind him, acting like her guardian. His sea-green eyes narrowed, giving Terotrey the deadliest glare he could muster, while Cresselia tried to do the same.

The silver-haired scientist heard a laugh escape his lips at the severe hatred that instantly radiated from the room upon his arrival, and with a snap of his fingers four grunts came in from behind him. With their faces hidden by their caps, which Darkrai could easily tell they had looks of deviousness on their pale features, the grunts approached the dreaming Legendaries' cage. Darkrai gasped, as did Cresselia, when the grunts opened the cage, and with iron poles started to usher the nightmare Legendary into a moveable cage they had brought in earlier.

Darkrai roared in anger as he dodged the poles, but seeing as how there wasn't much room to avoid things in the small space his cage provided, a pole came up from behind him and smacked into his back, causing him to tumble over in his float and roll into the other cage. Cresselia grimaced in horror, although she quickly put on a face of hatred and moved forward to ram into the Rockets…

…only to have the cage door shut right in her face, cutting off her capability to do such a thing.

She could feel tears brim her eyes as the moveable cage now containing a somewhat-dazed Darkrai began to head towards the door. Terotrey watched, and eventually turned his narrowed eyes to Cresselia, who was emitting her name in yelps, although to Pokemon who could understand her she was calling out for Darkrai. Entei and Suicune growled instantly, trying to get towards Terotrey, although their shocking iron bars prevented them from doing so.

Darkrai, who had regained his thoughts, finally remembered what had happened, and therefore floated upwards to catch sight of him being rolled out of the room in a new cage. As he saw Cresselia grow out of view he displayed a look of hurt and reached his claw out to her despite that he knew it was useless. He felt his heart plummet, and all he did was turn his saddened eyes downward. He didn't bother to shoot deathly glares to the Rocket grunts pushing his cage down the halls, nor Terotrey when he walked out of the room with seriousness gracing his face, and even with the cries of Cresselia calling for him he felt no comfort.

Time seemed to slow as he finally realized that he could possibly be only mere seconds away from disaster. He knew for one thing that whatever Terotrey was going to do was going to be bad – tragic even. He could feel his muscles weaken at the thought – at the possibility that he would never see Cresselia or anyone else important to him ever again.

If Terotrey was going to kill him, he hoped he made it quick.

Of course, unbeknownst to him, though, Terotrey had an intention in mind that was much worse than that…

-ooo-

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**To Be Continued

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Hmm, I hope the explanation of Heatran's exile didn't seem rushed. Then again, I couldn't really think of adding anything there that would have not been considered irrelevant...

-shrug-

I hope you enjoyed the MxD moment. xD


	17. Nightmare

Hey peoples!

Okay, here's the next chapter. We got some crazy things happening in here, and I guess this chapter has some 'darkness' to it (-points at Mewtwo's part towards the end-).

Anyway, you all know the drill.

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 17: Nightmare****

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-ooo-

Raikou's mouth fell open, as did Jeff's, while Deoxys had overheard this and, trying her best to reposition the sleeping Mewtwo in her lap to lean against the wall, got up to join the conversation. Drendan remained silent, letting the cackles of the campfire emit uninterrupted noise for the next few seconds, allowing the sentence he had just stated to linger in the air and therefore amplify its meaning. Raikou and the others weren't in awe because their theories of the location of the Rocket base were true, but at the fact that the whole revealing meant a hideous war was not too far off from starting. Soon they would have to infiltrate the base and rescue the Legendaries – stopping Terotrey Horrifiance and his robotic minions in a battle that would take everything they had to achieve victory.

Just at the mere thought of it…Raikou could feel his heart freeze in place.

Heatran, who had been resting in the corner, waiting for his Lucario ally to inform the others about how they knew the Rocket base's location, got up and walked over to join Drendan by the fire. The Lucario exchanged serious looks with him, but in the process stepped back slightly to give the lava toad the ability to continue with the explanation. He did just that with a quiet voice, his narrowed eyes gazing into the widened ones of his small audience.

"When I got here," he began, allowing his eyes to wander as if to emphasize the cavern as the specific 'here', "it wasn't long before I met Drendan. It wound up he was just passing through the valley, never really having a permanent place to stay. However, though…" He turned his gaze to the flame. "When I realized that not far from here a manmade base structure was being constructed, I looked in on it, soon learning that it belonged to Team Rocket. I thought it was weird for the Rockets to be in Sinnoh – this region is known to all to be Team Galactic territory - so I figured they would have to have a good reason for showing their faces in the area.

"Drendan learned of this, and therefore decided to stay behind and help me find out why the Rockets were establishing their organization here in the mountain valleys. As the building was finished, we continued to spy, eavesdropping on conversations between the grunts that patrolled the outside. Soon we learned that some man called Terotrey Horrifiance was capturing the Legendaries using robotic Pokemon that could hunt them by their Legendary essence.

"Drendan and I slowly watched in horror as, every few days, a helicopter or large vehicle came into the valley, carrying a captured Legendary. We counted all of the ones that had been caught, and when the latest one, Suicune," – Raikou cringed as if in pain – "was brought here, the grunts around the area began to say that all Legendaries had been caught."

Drendan suddenly stepped forward, his serious voice soon continuing the story. "Heatran and I knew that the only one they were missing was Raikou. We found it weird that they would state that they captured all of the Legendaries if they were missing him. So, when the grunts began to talk about his lack of Legendary essence, then, well…"

"We figured that Raikou had been exiled from the council," Heatran finished. "It's the only way for a Legendary to lose his or her essence."

Everyone remained silent with widened eyes, mouths gaped.

"It's apparent that Team Rocket is up to no good," Drendan began, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. "Heatran and I thought about trying to break in, but a rescue attempt by just the two of us would obviously end in failure because of the amount of Rockets, and those hordes of robotic Pokemon. Terotrey has had them patrolling the entire valley – possibly to keep away anybody from discovering the base."

The Lucario suddenly turned to Raikou. "Anyway, I have already devoted myself to helping you rescue the Legendaries, Raikou." He kneeled down as if serving a wise king or general, and Raikou chuckled nervously out of bashfulness, remembering then that Lucarios were known for their honorable personalities. Jeff did the same for the sake of it, and Deoxys sighed through her nostrils out of what seemed like impatience. However, she suddenly remembered the recent information, and therefore turned her eyes to Heatran, who she noticed was staring at Raikou and Drendan with slight shame and anger. She had overheard his tale – how he had gotten exiled from the council and always held a burden towards the Legendaries for it, even if he was aware now that he deserved his punishment.

She didn't want to point it out to the others and make it seem like she was trying to rub it in, but she couldn't help but nudge her elbow towards Raikou, who gazed at her with bewilderment before she pointed a finger at the lava toad that sat by the fire. Drendan noticed this as well and, being the friend he was to Heatran, made himself the one to turn towards the said Pokemon.

"Will you help us fight?" he then spoke quietly, firmness radiating from it as if a simple 'yes' or 'no' would satisfy him without the need of an explanation behind the choice. Heatran turned his eyes to him, knowing that everyone figured he was going to back out because of his relationship with the Legendaries. It was true that he believed that helping them would bring no benefit to his cause, despite that this conclusion had not been interpreted from hatred, but instead shame to face them again after the things he had done. Would they want to be saved by him, he thought? Even if he managed to do so it wouldn't change what they now saw him as.

Of course, now that he thought about it, doing the exact opposite and not helping would only add to his selfishness, as well as the cowardly attitude he sometimes held. He did not want to be viewed as a Pokemon who ran away at the mere glimpse of danger, but at least a being who helped others when it was needed. He wanted to be able to see himself as a hero again – to make up for his past crimes, or maybe even cease the Legendaries' urges to eye him with repugnance whenever he came across one. Even if helping the council didn't bring him back his Legendary status, it would assist in dissipating the guilt inside of him.

And he would do anything for that.

He turned his attention back to the others, noticing that they had been staring at him with compassionate eyes, waiting patiently for his response. He knew that they would understand if he didn't want to help, but refusing to join their alliance wouldn't ease his pain at all – it would only add to it. Therefore, with a sigh as if forcing himself to settle on his choice, he muttered out his answer with even more seriousness than before.

"The Legendaries need to be rescued…"

He locked gazes with Raikou.

"…and whether they like it or not, they're getting _my_ help."

-ooo-

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of being pushed through halls, in which in reality was actually only ten minutes, Darkrai could hear the loud generators of computers fill the air, and when he opened his eyes to gaze at his surroundings, he noticed he was in a cathedral-sized room. Everything seemed to be dubbed in an eerie blue light, and the nightmare Legendary turned to find the source, which he gaped at as he soon looked upon a humongous machine that took up half the room. Gears rotated among it, wires bigger than his cage sprouting from one socket and entering through another. Lights flashed across the machine as a giant blue sphere hovered above it, being the source of the cobalt glow that covered everything.

And inside the sphere floated Arceus, seeming to be unconscious, as his eyelids were closed but yet his expression tightened with discomfort. Brackets tied his hooves together, and right below his sphere, built into the machine, was a set of what looked like circular glass cases made for holding something spherical.

Before Darkrai could examine the thing any further, he was pushed out of his cage and into a sort of cylindrical scanner in the bottom center of the machine, which trapped him inside with an unbreakable glass shielding. All he could see was Terotrey walk over to the scientists typing on the computers by the entrance into the room, any sounds protruding from outside becoming muffled through the heavy casing of the scanner. Darkrai banged his fist on the glass wall, but it did nothing.

He floated backwards only a few centimeters before he made cold contact with the opposite side of the round scanner. He felt claustrophobic, and all he could hear was his quickening breath, as well as feeling faint vibrations of the rotating gears among the machine, although nothing much of else could be felt or heard.

What was happening?

Darkrai caught sight of Terotrey raise his eyes from the computer, coming in contact with his. For a few seconds maroon conflicted with sea-green, and soon the scientist placed a smirk across his lips before his mouth moved, no doubt muttering a command to the fellow scientist beside him. The man nodded before punching a button on his computer keyboard.

The nightmare Legendary swallowed his tongue as he saw waves of light begin to flash from inside his glass barricade, causing him to freeze in slight fear. The lights began to come quicker and brighter, somewhat blinding him before the whole scanner was filled with light. He covered his eyes with his arm, not opening his eyelids one bit, and he eventually began to feel weakness crawl up his muscles. He nearly keeled over when nausea suddenly overtook him, but to avoid being blinded he held it all in and kept his arm in front of his face.

He felt his nerves become warm, and then cold, and then warm again.

He felt his fingers twitch.

He felt himself become dizzy, as if he was going to faint any second.

He could feel his muscles give out, which caused his arm to fall from his face. It didn't matter, though, as Darkrai now felt too weak to even open his eyes.

His energy…his power…it felt like it was being drained from him altogether. Extensive pain surged through him, and it took him all he had to avoid screaming out in agony.

Eventually it stopped, the lights dissipating, giving him a view of the lab again. Now, however, he couldn't open his eyes; he felt weak and hurt beyond what seemed normal to come with immobilization. It was almost as if he was even weaker than a baby Pokemon.

Simultaneous to this, one of the empty glass spheres on the machine soon became filled with a purplish substance that radiated with an obsidian flame, and Terotrey could feel himself smile since he instantly knew what it was.

Darkrai's Legendary essence.

It wasn't long after that before Darkrai was ushered back into his cage and rolled out of the room to be returned to his holding cell. Meanwhile, Terotrey walked closer to the glass sphere that held the nightmare Pokemon's Legendary essence, and he couldn't help but smirk slightly.

The silver-haired scientist was one step closer to becoming a Legendary.

He was one step closer in making the Legendaries only legends.

He was one step closer in creating his fantasized world – a world without sin that looked up to him for guidance.

Darkrai was no longer a Legendary.

His essence belonged to Terotrey now.

"Should we prepare the other Legendaries for essence extraction, sir?"

Terotrey blinked, escaping his dazed state and turned to face the grunt that had entered the room, the loud purring of the essence machine blocking out all relative noises, although he could hear the minion good enough nonetheless. The silver-haired scientist nodded slightly, walking closer to the grunt while shooting devious looks towards Darkrai's concealed essence, and eventually muttered to him, "Yes, and don't forget to set up the larger scanners for the more bigger Legendaries."

The grunt nodded and immediately took off down the hall, leaving Terotrey behind.

And the only thing that came from the scientist's lips was a villainous laugh.

_A world without sin_…

-ooo-

…_begins with the destruction of those who bring suffering_.

Mewtwo's eyes suddenly shot open for a split second, and he flew forward from his leaning position, landing on the ground with his back facing upwards. His hand came up and slowly began to clench, his eyelids closing tightly in response.

Pain…so much pain…

He tried to get up, but as extensive agony deluged his muscles, weakness from it all kept him from doing so. He barely could open his eyes, and his tail flailed around like a beached Magikarp. His teeth gritted, sweat forming across his furry face, which had already grown damp from the unbearable pain that filled every inch of his body. His breathing became quick and feverish – he felt like his lungs were inflaming, halting the oxygen that was running through them, therefore making him go through an asthmatic attack.

Pain…so much pain. He could feel it all. He could fell _their_ pain.

He rolled over, gasping for air, his hands now tightly clenched like his eyelids. It felt like his very soul was being pulled from the center of his body – being sucked out by a demonic creature hungry for it. Because of all of this he didn't even notice Raikou and the others snap away from their talk with each other, calling out his name in worry as they noticed his seizure-like actions. Deoxys, being the most worried of them all, cried out for him as she got up and rushed towards him. He couldn't feel her soft touch grace his arm – everything on the outside was numb to him. He could barely hear because every noise was coated with silence, nonexistent to his ringing eardrums.

All he could sense was _their_ screams of pain, witnessing _their_ faces contorted by horror flash through his head like the very dream that had led him into this. He wasn't having a nightmare of Raikou and the others experiencing a gruesome fate…

…but instead the other Legendaries.

_He could feel their pain as he saw their essences being torn away from them, sucked out by a hellish fiend, whose glowing scarlet eyes were piercing like daggers, hidden away by the shadows driven forward from the screams of the Legendaries. He could hear him cackle, his voice coming out as a vicious chuckle fit for a dark entity – a demonic god._

_It wasn't long before the essence-less Legendaries began to fade away like ghosts, now behind them, staring down at Mewtwo, a colossal monster that used to be the hellish scientist behind it all. With his pure red eyes he gazed down at the manmade Pokemon, the black sky above turning red like the blood that seemed to be raining down from the obsidian clouds. This monster was _him_, the creator of the robotic Pokemon, who was now a demon driven by lust for control of the hellish world around him – a land he could watch over like a god._

"_Judgment…has…come…" he, the demon, hissed, his voice filled with vileness and booming across the bloodied air as if it was the very raging storm above. "Scorch the sinners from all the Earth…build anew from…their…ASHES!"_

_And with that his claw swung downwards, landing right on Mewtwo_…

…and at the same time the said manmade Pokemon rushed forward and out of his dream state, breathing heavily, landing in the arms of Deoxys, who paid no heed to the extensive amount of sweat that was pouring from him.

Slowly his hearing returned, as did his sight, and the pain began to dissipate.

Had he just…seen into the future?

Only few psychic types carried the ability, which most didn't have the capability to control, and when the things to come were of bad auras, they were usually expressed through a nightmare. He doubted it, though, as even if he had occasionally witnessed an accurate event in a dream, it was usually exaggerated a bit, or simply false and only part of his imagination.

But…it felt so real, definitely with the fact that he had actually felt the Legendaries' pain that were shown in it.

Mewtwo couldn't help but shiver. His head was hurting too much to allow him to dwell on it. Maybe the stress from the recent events had gotten to him, or maybe he really had seen into an apocalyptic future. He didn't want to know, nor did he want to share the horrifying experience with Raikou and the others, who calmed down when he opened his eyes to gaze at them, despite that hundreds of questions asking about his health came flying out of their mouths at that direct moment.

"It was…just a bad dream," Mewtwo forced himself to mumble, instantly feeling guilt rise within him for lying. He wanted it to be true, but he couldn't help but be in denial when it came to the theory that the strange dream was only brought onto him by his constant worry on what Terotrey was doing with the Legendaries. He hoped that it was just his imagination, although he still carried doubt and nervousness, and with the fact that it was still possibly a look into the future…it wasn't really easing his worry.

Nonetheless, he did not want to get the others worried over it, and therefore kept his mouth shut about it. There were so many possibilities behind its origin, and he didn't feel comfortable immediately settling on the most horrifying theory.

"'A bad dream'?" Deoxys repeated with skepticism and slight worry gracing her tone. "You looked like you were in immense pain -"

Before anymore words could come out, Drendan stepped forward, halting noise of any kind with a firm and quick, "Shhh!"

Everyone followed his order, remaining silent, watching him turn his eyes to the ceiling ever so slowly, a mixture of bewilderment and seriousness radiating from his irises. He knew that Mewtwo's state was important, but when he suddenly felt the strong presence of unidentified Pokemon, he knew that it was a subject worth looking into. It was possibly an enemy – robotic Pokemon, although Drendan doubted this because the semblances of the newcomers on the surface didn't feel of fake, manmade souls. He could sense feet with actual flesh hit the ground, seeming to hover around the area above the underground tunnels.

He contemplated on telling the others to stay low at the risk that it _was_ an enemy, but for some reason the semblances among the unknown beings were soft and filled with good. He could feel it, closing his eyes and seeing the blue auras that surrounded them. The unknown beings were high in number – maybe it was a passing Pokemon clan, and although he would usually dub such a thing ordinary and nothing to worry about, he felt something different about _these_ beings.

"Pokemon are here…on the surface," he then mumbled to the others. "I'm gonna go check it out."

And before anyone could mutter a word of response, the Lucario ran off deeper into the tunnels, leaving Raikou and the others to stare at him with puzzlement, while simultaneously attending to Mewtwo, who was still recovering from his nightmare.

-ooo-

Knowing the tunnels' layout, it wasn't long before Drendan emerged into daylight, miles of rocky valley exposing themselves to him as soon as he stepped out of the shaded caverns. He followed the auras of the strange Pokemon that had intrigued him to surface from underground, and as he blocked out the sun's bright light with his arm, he tried his best to accustom his eyes to it, as well as on the beings that stood not far from him.

He narrowed his eyes to focus his gaze, and when the beings became clear in vision, he found himself gasping slightly. When Raikou had told him and Heatran that he had formed a bond with an army willing to fight to rescue the Legendaries, he wasn't kidding.

Because in front of him was an old Charizard and Rhydon, behind them standing an army of at least hundreds of battle-ready Pokemon.

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued

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**

"Damnit, this is why you don't drink Mountain Dew before you go to bed!"

Oh snap, Atsila and Bouldarin are here, and they have brought the army!

Well, anyway, next chapter is going to be like "Motivation" - I'm going to spend it tying up any loose ends that exist, because afterwards is when the final battle starts, and the way I have planned it out, well...it's going to be pretty epic...

-grins- See you then!


	18. Rooftops

Hey peoples!

Alright, last filler chapter. After this is the final battle.

Anyway, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon, or "Rooftops" by Lostprophets.

* * *

**Chapter 18: Rooftops****

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**

-ooo-

"Hello, Raikou…"

Raikou blinked, and as he turned to face Atsila, watching in interest when the Charizard walked closer, a serious, yet soft tone gracing his emerald eyes, he only brought his gaze downward and away from his. He focused them on the cold stone beneath his paws, feeling the air brush across his fur in light wisps, but this didn't seem to ease the stress that was running through the thunder tiger's body. Atsila waited patiently for a response, and in the act of it turned his reptilian head to examine the surroundings around them.

The sky had grown red and orange, meshing together with the blackness of night as the sun began to disappear behind the mountains overhead, reaching tall like the colossal gates to a new world. Because of this the air was cool, the stone of the valley rocks growing cold and damp with shadows, which helped the army that were spread out across the valley rocks, talking with one another about the battle, possibly wishing good luck to their comrades while others fought their urges to decline joining the fight. It was obvious they wanted to save the Legendaries – the very beings that made the earth they walked upon – and because of this forced themselves to be brave – to be strong.

"A lot has happened…" was all Raikou could say, and Atsila nodded almost absentmindedly. It only felt like yesterday he was meeting the thunder tiger, hearing his pleas to know what was happening to the Legendaries, and he helping him in his feud with Bouldarin, who was now an ally he could count on.

Now, however, the real enemy had been identified, and the army to fight was ready.

"Indeed…" Atsila grunted in agreement, seeming to be out of words to say, appearing dazed as he gazed somewhat-happily at the Pokemon around him.

He was proud of the army and their bravery, as well as Raikou for his need to save the Legendaries even after they had exiled him from their council. Bouldarin was also proud, and he was standing under a stone archway, talking to Ulrik the Luxray, who was serving as the leader of one of the army's many groups of soldiers.

The Charizard could feel himself sigh, though. The air right now was quiet and uneventful – it was the time where he had mentioned that it wouldn't be long before they followed Heatran and Drendan towards the Rocket base and attack. Because of this the army was preparing, saying goodbye to their friends and family who were joining the fight…

…in case one of them wasn't coming back.

No doubt would the battle be big – turning the valley into a bloody battlefield where death lived around every corner. Everyone was showing symptoms of fright – they all knew the risks that came with participating in the fight, yet they were proud to do it anyway.

_The time is now, the war is here. Once we go, there's no turning back. Some of you might not return, so if there's anything you always wanted to do, it would be best if you do it now_...

He had muttered these very words to them all, which had brought fear into his own heart. The Pokemon of the army were now talking because of this, emitting last whishes and requesting for others to pass them on if he or she didn't return. They knew the percent of death would be high, and it was a sad sight to see…

Fathers hugging their children one last time…

Brothers and sisters sharing a last 'I love you'…

And lovers showing affection to each other one last time, or simply admitting to the one they had always loved that they held feelings towards him or her-

Atsila suddenly blinked, finally realizing something, and he slowly turned his head around, scanning the grounds.

Where did Flame go?

-ooo-

Flame the Charmeleon sat quietly on the small cliff not far from where the army was preparing. He could hear the distant echoes of their voices, but even then the air was peacefully soundless, and his emerald eyes stared relaxingly at the sun. It was setting behind the mountains, the valley that outstretched from beyond his high view slowly growing darker as daylight dissipated. Of course, with where he was sitting, he could see through a small crack in the mountains, therefore able to witness the sun sink below the actual horizon.

His tail flame blew slightly in the wind, seeming to reflect his emotions – calmness with slight worry of what was ahead. He knew that he was dedicated to fight by his father's side – to prove that he deserved to be the next clan leader apart from the family bloodline, although he was still quite frightened if he would be able to do it or not.

In fact, for some reason, despite that he was prepared to fight, he felt like something was missing. He had heard his father mutter that if anybody wanted to do something, now would be the time since when they marched into war there would be no going back until it was finished – _if_ they came back, that is.

He sighed, slowly tracing his claw against the cold stone he sat on. Something was missing – there was something he wanted to do, but for some reason it was only a feeling in his gut he couldn't interpret. He wanted to know what it was so he could fulfill it before it was too late, but no matter how hard he thought he couldn't find out what it was. Because of this he felt slightly depressed, knowing that if he didn't figure it out now it would only make him regret it later in a time where such a thing would be very distracting.

"…Flame?"

Flame blinked, turning his head around to notice Shadow coming up from behind him. Her voice was perfectly clear, the distant army not affecting it in the least and therefore making her words more enjoyable. She stopped in movement a few feet away, obviously wondering if she should invade on his private time, but if this moment was possibly the last they would be together…

…she could feel herself sigh at the tragic thought.

She didn't want to think like that, but she knew that it was true – that one of them might not come back. Because of this she was aware that she had to enjoy as much time with her crush as she could, and she was happy that they were alone, at least. Of course, she was still frozen in place, waiting for him to signal that he didn't mind her company – she didn't want to risk barging in at a time where he probably wanted some space.

She could feel herself sigh in relief, though, when Flame smiled, patting the stone next to him, which she followed and sat on the direct spot right by his side. She didn't notice the Charmeleon gaze at her lovingly, finally realizing that the one thing he wanted to do before they went into war was to spend time with her. He didn't really care that she was on the borderline of a nervous breakdown – both from the war and with the fact that she was barely an arm's reach away from touching her crush's scaly red skin.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he muttered, and she blushed slightly, turning her head to eye him – only to notice that he was staring at the sunset. She switched her gaze to this, understanding why he had said that – the view he had was perfect!

However, despite the quite romantic view, she knew that more serious matters were in front of them. "Are you scared…?" she found herself asking, and she could somehow sense it when he brought his eyes to her with slight curiosity gracing them. He eventually turned them downward, though, emitting a sigh of depression.

"Who isn't?" he then replied, his voice now carrying sadness instead of happiness. "It's obvious that the war is going to play a big affect on us – well, that's just if we win…"

Shadow sadly nodded, not wanting to agree with him, but had no choice to. Even if victory was at hand…the fatalities would be devastating…

She jumped slightly, though, when a laugh suddenly emitted from Flame's mouth, bringing her to stare at his joyful expression with a mixture of bewilderment and shock. He eventually calmed down, though, although a smile still occupied his snout.

"Look at us," he chuckled, "acting so negative."

Shadow couldn't help but roll her eyes, thinking that the Charmeleon's outburst seemed out of place in such a serious moment, although she even agreed that, in dark times, it was best to laugh at anything than nothing at all. Because of this, as she thought about it – how depressed they both seemed…it was kind of funny, and she could feel a smile come to her own face.

Of course, when she noticed that he was laughing more than what seemed normal for such a situation, she slowly asked, "What's so funny?"

He forced himself to dissipate his giggles, and even in the wake covering his mouth with his claw. Of course, when he ceased them successfully, he answered, "Oh, I was just thinking about all those times you were a klutz."

Shadow frowned, thinking over his words. "Hey!" she suddenly snapped, scowling as his emerald eyes met her scarlet ones, a smirk now on his snout. He loved to tease her – it was what he did best, although he usually felt guilty about it later, despite that happiness took over when it convinced her to chuckle at her own antics.

Now, though, she was displaying pure annoyance. Regardless how much she loved him, she had yet to grow tolerant to _all_ of his ways…

"Aw, come on, Shadow." He grinned like an immature child. "You know I'm just trying to make you laugh." His voice grew soft, his eyes matching the gentle tone. "Besides, I like it when you smile…"

She definitely blushed on that.

Oblivious to this, Flame continued. "Yeah, when you smile it makes you look…um…" He quirked his eyebrow, trying to think of the right word.

Shadow cocked her head slightly, quirking her eyebrow as well, emitting the one word that guys usually wanted to say. "Beautiful?"

Flame blinked, and he suddenly put his claws up as if in defense. "Whoa now," he said in an uncertain tone. He then suddenly smirked, however. "Not on our first date."

Shadow rolled her eyes at his irrelevant childishness. "You're such a dork," she then muttered, although she had done it with a slight chuckle in her tone

"Aw, but you know you love me that way," he replied, putting on a fake pose of arrogance, which made Shadow giggle. Even she enjoyed his more humorous side that he didn't put on often because his daily life required him to be serious, but now that he was 'away' from his work, his fun side was allowed to show.

In spite of all this, Shadow no longer felt nervous around him, and as he turned to look at her with arrogance in his eyes, she, being absentminded, didn't even notice she had replied.

"Yeah, I kinda do…"

And, as if something was controlling her, she began to lean in.

Flame, noticing this, changed his smirk into a slight smile, his next words coming out with sly playfulness. "Do you now?"

He began to lean in as well.

Their faces grew closer and closer, eventually feeling each other's hot breath across their mouths, and as their eyes slowly closed they –

"_Flame and Shadow, sittin' in a tree, k-i-s- _Um. Something, something...something?"

Flame and Shadow snapped away from what they were doing, only to turn their eyes to Jefferson Drewyer Roselia and Skyler the Flygon, who were standing behind them. Jeff had a big smile on his face, his mouth open, which signaled that he had been the one singing the quite-butchered song, while Skyler was chuckling like a giddy two-year-old. Eventually Jeff joined him, and as Flame and Shadow realized they had been watching the whole time, the two Pokemon allowed blushes to cover their faces as they swiftly pulled away from each other.

"Aw, don't mind us, dudes!" Jeff then chuckled out, holding his stomach since his giggles had caused it to cramp. Skyler was laughing hard as well, almost falling over.

Flame's smile suddenly turned into a frown, and he closed his eyes as if to help suppress his anger, despite that one of his brows were twitching. "Can I kill them?" he then hissed between gritted teeth, Jeff and Skyler still laughing since they weren't able to hear him.

Shadow was doing the same thing, her eyebrow twitching even harder. "Please be my guest."

-ooo-

After finishing his talk with Atsila, Raikou made his way down the path, maneuvering through the groups of army Pokemon that were conversing with each other until he spotted Mewtwo leaning against a rocky wall in the far corner. With slight curiosity to know what was running through the manmade Pokemon's head, the thunder tiger made his way towards Mewtwo, which was when he noticed that his eyes were closed, frown deep as if trying to ponder on something serious.

In fact, the manmade Pokemon was pondering on something serious.

His dream.

He was constantly debating if it was real or not – that if the post-apocalyptic setting he had seen would soon serve as the new Earth if Terotrey was allowed to pull off his schemes. Such a thought made him antsy to convince the army to head in faster, despite that they were all already set to attack at nighttime when the Rocket base was less awake and aware. Such a plan was soon to happen – the sun had already disappeared behind the mountains and the sky was starting to turn black because of it, the cloaked moon coming out of hiding.

Raikou's presence snapped Mewtwo away from the thoughts about his prophecy-like dream, which he had yet to tell Raikou, Heatran, or even Deoxys about. Sticking to his old reasons for not telling them on the spot, he knew that such a thing would only add disheartenment to the group, and therefore kept the vision inside his head.

With a short sigh he turned his eyes to Raikou, who had placed his gaze on the army. It seems the Pokemon were performing their last few tasks – some were already practicing their fighting moves as they all began to organize in a manner easy to control.

Raikou turned his head to Mewtwo. "Scared?"

The manmade Pokemon eyed the thunder tiger with a quirked eyebrow, even seeming slightly offended although the question wasn't intended to tease him, but instead check if he was okay. There's was lots of things Mewtwo was scared about, such as the usual: the outcome of the battle, to his own personal demons that included his strange dream. Of course, he would never admit any of these – he knew that, to win a battle, one must be strong and not allow their fears to get in the way. He already was aware of this, but to make sure Raikou did, he asked him.

Raikou shrugged, which was mostly to hide the fact that he was scared, despite that he knew this battle needed to be fought. Before he could answer, though, a slow "I think we all are," came from the back, convincing the exile and manmade Pokemon to turn their eyes to Heatran as he emerged from the shadows.

"I think it would be oxymoronic if anybody here wasn't scared…" he then said, narrowed eyes focused on Raikou. "We're about to go into war, right? You'd have to be a zombie not to feel fear in these times…"

Suddenly Raikou didn't feel so cowardly, and all Mewtwo did was nod slightly.

Since he had checked on the last of his allies, Raikou broke off from the group, leaving Mewtwo and Heatran behind as he approached the cliff he was by. He sat down, worried eyes eyeing the mountains as they hid the sun, allowing night to take over. The air seemed to get colder as the moon lit up, its silvery light drenching the land in a misty color, which this only made the thunder tiger even more nervous than before. He could hear Atsila announce that it was time to move forward, and the constant sounds of feet slapping against the stone signaled that every Pokemon were getting into position, preparing to go.

In only a few minutes they would be marching forward.

In only a few minutes they would be infiltrating the Rocket base.

In only a few minutes they would be fighting hordes of Rockets and robotic Pokemon, and all for the sake of the Legendaries.

Somehow this all made Raikou feel more confident. He had made an oath to them – to make up for his shame by saving them, or at least die trying…

'Die'…that word scared him a lot now.

He slowly turned his head behind him. The first thing he saw was Mewtwo, only this time Deoxys was with him. She was showing signs of depression – possibly from the upcoming war, and before Mewtwo could utter a word she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a powerful embrace – a one in which true love radiated from like the very light of the sun. Mewtwo immediately hugged back, obviously not caring if someone saw them. He cared for her, Raikou could tell.

The thunder tiger smiled slightly at the sight, which reminded him of a certain water dog he had grown to love.

He then turned his eyes to Heatran and Drendan, who were preparing themselves for the upcoming fight. He noticed how they talked, nodding to each other, saying words of honor to one another. It was then when the Lucario held out his paw, a small smile on his snout, and Heatran smiled himself before raising his claw and lightly touching it – a sort of handshake in Pokemon terms.

A symbol of true friendship.

Raikou smiled at that, too, since it reminded him of a certain nightmare Legendary that had taken him in when no one else would.

Heatran was right – everyone here was scared, but they were all prepared to fight. They all had come a long way since the beginning of their journey, but now as the end approached they were more than happy to live it through no matter what it took.

They were strong, _brave_…

And Raikou wanted to be just like them.

It was their attitude that made the Legendaries heroes.

_It doesn't take a Legendary to be a hero_…

Raikou rose his eyes up to the moon, and a frown of determination covered his face.

It was time to fight – it was time to win.

_But it does take a hero to be a Legendary_…

And he was going to prove that tonight – _they all were_.

"Suicune, Darkrai…Guys, I'm coming."

-ooo-

Every essence…they were all _his_.

The Legendaries were weak, sucked dry of the substance that made them who they were, and were imprisoned behind cages that didn't even need shocking barriers to keep them locked in. They were all too tired to even stand.

They deserved it for all the harm they had done – for how many lives were taken away by their stupidity.

Soon only one Legendary would exist – only one god.

And it would be _him_.

Terotrey Horrifiance eyed the circular canisters that sat below Arceus' orb-like cage upon the extraction machine. Every circular container was now filled with a smoky, liquid substance – a glowing essence that Terotrey swore called for his name. He would soon be their new owner, using the power they gave for actual good – for dominance under rules he could control.

It wouldn't be long now –

"Uh, sir?"

Terotrey snarled to himself. "What. Is. _It_?" he hissed between gritted teeth, spacing out each word to emphasize his anger. The grunt gulped, but forced himself to say the quite weird, yet important information he had run from the surveillance room to inform the silver-haired scientist about.

"I think you should come look at this…" the grunt replied, and Terotrey rolled his eyes before following the man to the surveillance room, where groups of grunts were already gathering around the large screen that showed the viewpoint of the security camera outside. Terotrey, with slight impatience, forced his way through the crowd, and when he brought his eyes to the screen, eyeing what stood in front of the base in the beginning of the night, his eyes slightly widened.

_Raikou_.

The thunder tiger was standing firmly on a cliff that overlooked the base, eyes narrowed. Terotrey, despite that he was surprised that the exile had seemed to find his base randomly, the silver-haired scientist let out an impatient sigh.

"It's just that essence-less Pokemon," he muttered. "Go send a robotic Pokemon at him or something…"

He turned to leave.

"But sir?" a grunt, who was controlling the camera outside, murmured.

He stopped. "WHAT?" he then roared, his patience entirely gone.

"There's something else."

Terotrey, with a groan of annoyance, turned back around and stood directly behind the seat of the grunt that controlled the camera. He kept his eyes on the screen, waiting for the grunt to point out what the 'something else' was.

The grunt, seeming nervous slightly, slowly tugged at the lever on the console he sat in front, which made the camera shift its view to the left…

…and revealed that hundreds of Pokemon were standing right behind Raikou, snarling viciously, obviously ready to charge forward.

Terotrey's face fell.

"_How_…_how is this possible_?"

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued

* * *

**

See you next chapter!


	19. Judgment

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 19: Judgment**

* * *

-ooo-

The Pokemon army rushed forward, their feet dragging across the ground as they tore through the cold air and towards the Rocket base that seemed to be drowning in the silvery mist of the moon. The mountains behind it stood tall like shadowed behemoths, watching the battle in a veil of silence that was broken from the cries of the Pokemon that were advancing upon the structure beneath their rocky grasps. The air was cool, yet filled with such tension that even the ground they were stomping upon seemed fragile to touch, left hidden behind a frozen shielding that made it feel damp, if such a thing was possible in the dry air that surrounded the barren plains. Waves of stars twinkled bright by the moon, shining fiercely all together as if showing their support for not the war – but the Pokemon fighting it.

Breaths were heavy, sweat poured from foreheads, and the vibrations of the army's stomps among the land made a permanent mark in even the thoughts of any creatures that were miles away, oblivious to the moment of liberation that was taking place by the Rocket base. Eyes became narrowed, determination glistening from irises, leaving their colors that blazed brightly like fire to shine in the night air, intimidation of their enemies soon becoming an advantage because of it all.

Raikou led the group, behind him Atsila, whose chartreuse gaze radiated with serious valor – obvious dedication to not leave the battle until the Legendaries were free from their manmade prisons. Bouldarin was by his side, his strong voice booming towards the back as commands were ordered to the soldiers, reminding them of the tactics they had thought up for the occasion – the plans that would aid them in the upcoming battle as the distance between their large numbers and the base grew smaller with swiftness. Even Jeff and Skyler were not far behind, blending in with the crowd as their faces contorted with hatred.

Soon their stomps among the land became unbearable to hear, reaching to a volume higher than any noise could counter. Their battle cries were even louder, surging through the air as if they were the call of colossal beast wanting revenge, or the words of a powerful force determined to shower its enemies with fear.

The battle was here, and they all knew it.

Their atmosphere was drenched with action...

...while the Rockets' atmosphere was drenched with fear.

-ooo-

Terotrey Horrifiance could not believe his maroon eyes. Never had anyone seen Pokemon come together and retaliate like the army that was advancing upon them, the moon's light bathing them in silver, adding the same hue to their bright eyes that glistened with seriousness. The silver-haired scientist was breathless, as were the grunts that surrounded him, their mouths gaped open and noise of any kind failing to emit from either one. The army coming towards them, they could tell, was there to free the Legendaries, but even then the act itself left them amazed by the simple fact that the creatures they longed to control were civilized enough to start a civil war.

As if finally comprehending this, Terotrey's eyes narrowed with anger.

He knew they wanted to stop him, ceasing him from completing his mission to change the world into one without sin – without crime, pain, or hurtful emotions. He knew they were arrogant, loyal to the Legendaries through the mere fact that they were oblivious to the misery the said beings brought to the planet – to all of life. He would not allow himself to be stopped – to be stunned by the idea that creatures below his intelligence were against his religious plans for the future.

Terotrey knew he was the messenger – the bringer of good despite how evil his actions appeared to be. He was doing it for all life, for the greater of the planet, and the very beings that lived upon it. By destroying the Legendaries the world would begin anew, allowing him to be their next leader and start a revelation that provided better things for all eternity. Life would change. It would change for the good.

He was the arbiter – the speaker of light.

Soon, though, he would be God – the creator of the light.

And nothing would stop him, not even those who were unknown of the truth.

"Send every single robot we have," he muttered to the grunts around him, his surprise disappearing quickly, his tone regaining its vile hue to where his minions struggled to follow his orders. "I will not allow my plans to be subsided for mere…" He ceased his words, as if to ponder for the phrase that would match his thought. "…sinners."

His voice was quiet, yet hissing like an Arbok hunting for prey. The grunts followed his commands, suppressing their amazement and surprise as, by pushing various buttons among the consoles in front of them, released the metallic tyrannies that had brought them past victory. Despite that they could see the various garage doors that decked the outside walls of the building open slowly, awakening the robots that rested inside and revealing the advancing army to them, Terotrey did not stay to witness them fight.

Instead he left the room swiftly, but without muttering a single word. He knew that the army was big, and risks of failure were too large to ignore regardless of the power that was on their side. If he were to fulfill his intentions, he would have to do so now.

It was time for the revelation – it was time for change.

It was time for him to become a Legendary.

-ooo-

Raikou could feel his eyebrow quirk as the large silver doors among the base's outer rim rose upward, revealing wide, darkened rooms behind that lined up against the structure's wall like giant garages. They first appeared silent and eventless, drenched in obsidian to where seeing the inside was impossible, although soon hundreds of red dots appeared across the sea of black. Instantly the familiar sounds of working smoke detectors filled the air, despite that the vast space around them lowered it to a distant stomach-churning echo, like the faint cries of an opposing army on the verge of charging straight towards theirs.

In fact, that's what it was.

As if on cue, hundreds and hundreds of robots shot out of the darkness, their metallic appendages gleaming in the moonlight, their robotic eyes doing the same. They came forward like a swarm of silver locusts, leaving the Rocket base behind as they advanced towards Raikou and the stunned army that lay behind him. The thunder tiger, as well as the others, knew that this was to be expected, and therefore swallowed their surprise before Bouldarin, who stood beside Atsila, looked back to the waves of battle-ready Pokemon.

"It is time to fight!" the Rhydon exclaimed, the army of robotic Pokemon coming closer by the second. Because of this he was aware he had little time to talk – little time to give any words of encouragement he had to the others before they were forced into the very bloody war that they had been spending weeks preparing for. "Remember what we told you! Do not give up – do not go down without a fight! Be proud to serve – we are fighting for the Legendaries! LET'S NOT LET THEM DOWN!"

The army roared into the air, the light winds carrying their voices for miles despite. The cloudless sky appeared to brighten alongside this, although with the fact that the stomps of the robotic Pokemon grew closer, nervousness still surged through some of the warriors. They knew it was now or never, though, and therefore forced themselves to be brave.

Jeff and Skyler soon emerged from the crowd, however, rushing over to Bouldarin's side. The Roselia climbed on top of the Flygon's head, facing the mile-long army before him, and took a deep breath. "Or in other words…" he then began, turning around, facing the approaching robots, and he suddenly threw his rose hand in the air, his voice coming out as a strong roar.

"LET'S KICK SOME ROCKET ASS, DUDES!"

The following cry from the army was even louder than their previous one, and Raikou could feel himself smile before his face grew deep with seriousness once again. He took his spot up front, placing his paws firmly on the stone ground, narrowed eyes focused on the robots that were mere feet away from them.

"ATTACK!"

And that's when the army charged onward, heading straight towards the robots, faces permanently contorted into ones fit for soldiers ready to die for their country. Mewtwo and Deoxys, who had been in the back, hovered forward using their psychic abilities and therefore led the fliers of the army ahead of the land-walkers, which allowed most of the bug types with wings to spread their Stun Spores and Sleeping Powders across the battlefield. The robots seemed to slow in movement because of this, despite that the powders' effects did not do much to their unnatural senses.

Of course, it wasn't long before only centimeters separated the robots from Raikou and the others, and the air seemed to explode with action as the two groups suddenly collided.

As the 'tough' Pokemon moved forward to push against the opposing robots, acting like a barricade for the Pokemon that specialized in shooting ranged attacks from the far back, both armies spread out across the plains that surrounded the Rocket base. The echoes of Fire Blasts and many other attacks soared through the air alongside whimpers of pain, as well as the battle cries from the Pokemon that were determined not to let the robots win. However, the robots seemed determined to keep the Pokemon from entering the base.

Soon actual Rocket grunts emerged from the various doors of the base, releasing their own Pokemon to aid the robots in battle. The battlefield was decked with soldiers of all kinds, and both sides were at a tie.

-ooo-

Raikou ran across the plains, maneuvering through the groups of soldiers that decked the grounds. Beside him were Bouldarin, Atsila, Heatran, and Drendan, who were fending off any robots that came close, and all in the act of clearing a way to the base so the thunder tiger could at least get through. It wasn't long before the barricade of Rocket grunts and robots came into view – a long line of them that covered the door behind a mesh of flesh and metal. Raikou could feel his eyes narrow, as did his allies, although they kept going forward.

"Raikou," Atsila called, "we will lead the robots away, and then you enter the base!"

The thunder tiger nodded.

Eventually the robots of the barricading group shot forward, hoping to keep away the approaching exile and clan leaders before they could even come close. Bouldarin, Atsila, Heatran, and Drendan exchanged glances, and they followed through on their plan, veering off into opposite directions while Raikou disappeared behind a nearby crowd. The robots stopped in confusion, their eyes surveying the area, although after they caught sight of Bouldarin and the others, they sped forward towards them like speeding bullets.

Using this as a distraction, Raikou ran out from under the crowd, heading straight towards the base, which was only blocked off by mere grunts now. Their Pokemon were out fighting in the battle, leaving them utterly defenseless to a creature that was able to use elemental powers, and because of this the thunder tiger easily shocked his way through the group and into the building.

Meanwhile, however, Atsila and Bouldarin backtracked once they noticed that Raikou had made it successfully into the base, launching themselves towards the robotic Pokemon that were following. The robots seemed to widen their real eyes in shock as the Charizard and Rhydon smashed into them, soon Heatran and Drendan joining in and keeping the artificial creatures down.

"Haha!" Atsila found himself laughing in childish joy as he jumped up to tail-smack a robot that was coming towards him. Afterwards he stretched out his wings and even flexed his muscles, showing off his still-present athletic joints. "I still got it!" he then squealed happily, grinning.

Bouldarin soon chuckled as well. "Aye you do, Atsila." He punched an opposing robot. "Aye you do."

-ooo-

"Suicune! Darkrai!"

Raikou's voice echoed throughout the Rocket halls, which seemed to be deserted. Every grunt in the area was outside, fighting the war, leaving the tiled grounds within the actual structure they were protecting empty. The drums of war sounded distant now, becoming muffled from the thick walls of the building, which gave the exile the ability to hear his own heavy breathing without fail, as well as how his paws slapped across the flooring during his run down the long hallways. He snapped his head side-to-side, taking a quick peak into each room as he passed by them, even bringing his eyes upward to eye the overhead lights that illuminated every single inch of every single room. Despite that the air was quiet, cool, and eventless, the isolation brought more nervousness to him than being in a area filled with people.

He continued forward despite this, calling for his lover and his best friend, hoping to at least get the response of a Legendary – _any_ Legendary. Every room was empty, though, the soft purring of the air conditioners, as well as the computers, were the only other sounds apart from his breathless voice. He grew desperate and antsy, searching for any form of life within the deserted rooms.

Eventually, as he made his way to the end of a hallway that broke off into two directions, he caught sight of something silver disappear into a corridor at the far end of one side. He immediately knew who it was, and the person's identity made his eyes furrow, his nervousness dissipating and being replaced by severe hatred.

"_Terotrey_…"

He ran in the same direction.

-ooo-

"Alright, that's it; I'm _totally_ using Petal Dance!"

Skyler groaned. "No, mate! If you do that, you'll get yourself high again!"

"I don't need to get high, I get high off life!"

"Get 'high off life' my ASS!"

Jeff and Skyler growled to each other, the robots who were advancing on them stopping in movement, and all because the two Pokemon they were about to attack had started to argue. Due to this, the only thing that covered the robots' faces were looks of bewilderment.

"Dude, you know what? Shut up!"

"You shut up, mate!"

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

"No, you!"

"I'm not shutting up until the fat lady sings!" Jeff's face suddenly turned into one of apology, although it was obvious he was faking it. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dude, I didn't mean to…BRING YOUR MOM INTO THIS!"

Skyler was appalled, although his eyebrows quickly furrowed once again. Before he could do anything, though, the Roselia had already rushed forward and unleashed a storm of rose petals, which came flying towards the robots, causing them to move backwards until fellow allies that were passing by 'took over' from there.

"See?" Jeff then muttered, not noticing that the sparkling aroma of the Petal Dance attack was already showering over him. "I'm not hi-"

He stopped in movement as he breathed the strong aroma into his nose, and quickly began to topple over, his pupils becoming wide as they gained a dazed hue. He started to laugh like a two-year-old, his mouth hanging open in the form of a giddy grin, and thus drool began to leak down his chin. Skyler already knew what this meant, therefore he slapped his forehead out of annoyance.

Jeff had become stoned by his own roses, as usual.

"You know what, dude?" the Roselia began, his voice filled with goofy giggles, and Skyler knew that this was the part where he said random things. "I _like_ cheesy romance songs about teardrop-covered guitars. I don't care what anybody says."

Skyler sighed and walked over to pick up his random, high friend, placing the Roselia on top of his head, which didn't cease him from muttering irrelevant phrases, or worse:

_Singing_.

_"One hundred bottles of beer on the wall, one hundred bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around…_and um…uh…crap, dude, I forgot the words." Jeff giggled.

_Someone shoot me_, Skyler thought.

"Hey, Skyler," Jeff continued with another dazed chuckle, and he added a deep, robotic tone to his voice: "_The force is strong within you_." He broke out into loud laughter. "You get it? You see what I said?"

With another sigh, the Flygon, Jeff the high Roselia resting upon his head, flew forwards to catch up with the manmade Pokemon, Mewtwo, and the space virus, Deoxys, who both, after receiving the signal of Raikou's entry into the base from Drendan and Heatran, made their way towards the manmade structure to head in after the thunder tiger.

-ooo-

It wasn't long before Raikou emerged into a room, an eerie cerulean glow covering the long row of computers that decked the cold flooring of the cathedral-sized lab. He didn't pay any attention to what was is in the room, because sitting not too far away from him, imprisoned with their cages lined up next to one another…

…were the Legendaries.

They were unconscious, it seemed, although when his eyes came upon Darkrai, he gasped before flinging himself forward towards the cage, getting as close as he could before the iron bars ceased any further movement. The nightmare Legendary's eyes were closed, his face covered with wrinkles of discomfort, and even the swaying smog-like feature of his skin seemed to no longer work, remaining quiet like his very countenance. Raikou wanted to shake him and try to wake him, but such thoughts were subsided when he turned his view to the side and spotted Suicune in the next cage over.

He immediately rushed to that one, his eyes filled with hurt as he gazed upon her expression, which seemed to reflect some sort of mental conflict. He could feel himself whimper slightly, even sneaking his paw through a space between two bars so he could lay it over hers. He watched her breath ever so slowly, showing no response or signs of waking up despite his affectionate touch. He slowly pulled away, wandering his eyes over the other cages that housed the other Legendaries, his eyes slowly gaining a hue of pure horror. He knew that even if he managed to free them, Terotrey had done something that made them like this, therefore releasing them without obtaining the cure to fix it would be pointless.

"Eh…kid?"

Raikou gasped, turning his eyes to Darkrai, who had opened his sea-green gaze into droopy slits – that's all he had the power to do. The thunder tiger approached the cage, eyeing the nightmare Legendary with compassion, feeling sympathy towards him since the Pokemon could not get up, forced to stay in his laying position. Despite this, the dark type rose his barely-visible pupils towards the exile, his voice coming out as soft wheezes that were nearly too quiet to hear.

"You…you came to stop Terotrey…" Darkrai murmured, his eyelids slowly closing.

Raikou slowly shook his head, treating Darkrai like a true friend who was mere seconds away from death. "I came to rescue you," he then replied, almost as if he was correcting the nightmare Legendary. Darkrai seemed to smile slightly, although with tiredness approaching him at a fast pace, he chose his last few words wisely.

"Kid…"

Raikou leaned in, proving that he would indeed heed his words, and the nightmare Legendary's expression and voice suddenly turned serious.

"…kick his ass."

Raikou blinked, but before he do anything else, Darkrai had fainted. As if on cue, a laugh suddenly tore through the air, echoing across the walls of the lab and sounding clear as crystal. The thunder tiger recognized the tone, which convinced him to bring his eyes towards the source of the cerulean light across the room, slowly walking forward until he could see it altogether.

Across the room was a large machine, an orb of blue towering above it that caged Arceus' unconscious figure. Below it sat a set of circular containers, and each held a smoky substance that blazed like wildfire, some in different colors that surrounded cores of blue or black. Instantly Raikou knew what the substances were, seeing as how he used to own one, and he turned his eyes to the Legendaries, finally understanding why they appeared too weak to do anything.

Terotrey had removed their Legendary essences.

The one substance that gave the Legendaries their life and power had been separated from them, leaving them as immobilized bodies with no action whatsoever. When Arceus removed one's essence, it only left them with power levels similar to a normal Pokemon, but seeing as how they had been forced out this time – no doubt from this machine – the effects it had on the Legendaries was devastating. He knew that reviving the Legendaries would involve giving them back their essences, but he decided that in order to do so, he would have to take care of the being who had removed them in the first place.

Because of this, he began to look for the source of the chuckle, which brought his eyes to a figure that stood over in front of the machine, the cerulean light from Arceus' orb-like prison framing him in blue as if he was an eclipse of some sort. The man's back faced the exile, his hands folded together, and as Raikou recognized the silver hair that ran down the man's head to his mid-back, the thunder tiger began to snarl.

He was only a few feet away from Terotrey Horrifiance.

Raikou was tempted to call out what he had done to the Legendaries, and what was the machine that sat in front, but he knew that humans weren't able to comprehend the Pokemon language. Because of this he remained silent, eyes narrowed, obviously trying to communicate his emotions through the sheer glow of his irises.

"Tell me, Raikou," Terotrey began to speak, his tone calm yet slow with vileness. It was almost as if he had been expecting Raikou to arrive and therefore wasn't surprised by his entrance, which showed through the fact that he didn't turn to face the thunder tiger, but instead kept his back towards him. "Do you believe in creating a better world?"

Raikou kept quiet, giving no heed to the possible meaning behind his words.

Terotrey continued to chuckle. "Oh, silly me, I can't understand your language. It's pointless to ask you this then, huh?"

Raikou snarled again. He caught the hints of sly sarcasm that drenched the scientist's tone, and it didn't take much to figure that he was toying with him.

"Of course…" Terotrey suddenly swung around to face Raikou, revealing the arrogance that leaked from his maroon eyes. "Even if you could answer…you wouldn't know how to…you Legendaries do not know the meaning of 'improving,' or 'fixing' for that matter."

Raikou quirked his eyebrow, trying to figure what he was trying to say.

Terotrey snorted. "Since the beginning of time this world has gone through hell, and all because of you – the Legendaries, inferior creatures who hide behind the powers they do not deserve, much less can control.

"You strive to protect the world you created, when you instead neglect it, using it as your battlefield and not even solving world disasters when they happen. You say there is always a balance of good and evil, but yet…where is the good to balance out the large extremities of evil I have seen during my entire lifetime? Answer me that – that one simple question with an answer I can be satisfied with – and I'll take back everything I said."

Raikou blinked in slight confusion, as well as curiosity. Did Terotrey really see the Legendaries as horrific monsters? He was not offended by his comments, but instead surprised that he thought such things. He turned his eyes to the ground, pondering for an answer to his own questions rather than the one Terotrey had asked.

Suddenly, however, the large sounds of shifting gears filled the air, and Raikou gazed forward to notice that the outlined platform the extraction machine was on was slowly lowering. It stopped when it sunk below the floor to the extent where Raikou could not see it, although Terotrey was able to since he was standing right on the edge that now overlooked it. Raikou wondered why he did this, although his thoughts were subsided when Terotrey turned to face him altogether, the machine's purring noises growing in volume as if it had been activated.

"I am the arbiter…" he began to chant, eyes closed. "I am the new bringer of light – the key to a world without sin – the God of a new natural balance – the ruler of a fresh hierarchy that will now serve as life's purpose for all of eternity." He held out his arms, as one would do if he was about to free-fall, and it didn't take much for Raikou to realize that he was doing so right on the edge to the lowered extraction machine, which was obviously a long drop.

A fatal drop.

"Judgment has come…" Terotrey muttered, his maroon eyes locked onto Raikou's own scarlet ones. "Scorch the sinners from all the Earth. Build anew from their ashes!"

As if on cue yet again, Mewtwo emerged into the room, Deoxys, Jeff, Skyler, Heatran, and Drendan not far behind. Although they all displayed shock from the things that surrounded them, Mewtwo instead kept his horrified eyes on Terotrey, who seemed to ignore the new presences.

It was just like his nightmare.

Raikou struggled to keep his attention on Terotrey, while trying not to ignore his allies, although the silver-haired scientist then did something that left them all with gaped mouths.

He allowed himself to fall back…

…and into the ditch.

Raikou's eyes widened.

Did he just…_commit suicide_?

Raikou rushed towards the ditch to see, only to cease in movement when Mewtwo pleaded for him to stop.

"What?" Raikou replied, turning his head to eye Mewtwo, whose horrified expression was stronger than before. "Why?"

Mewtwo fell forward onto his knees, widened eyes locked onto the ditch that held the activated extraction machine. "My prediction…it has come true…we're too late." His eyes turned to Raikou, his voice suddenly coming out as a roar of warning. "GET AWAY FROM THERE NOW!"

Before Raikou could question what he meant, he and the others were blown backwards when a glow of crimson engulfed the ditch, soon shooting upwards with such power that it tore away the ceiling, revealing the black of the night as debris spread out everywhere. As Raikou and the others struggled to avoid it all while rolling the Legendaries' cages to a safe position, black lightning surged across the beam's vast body that shot towards the sky like one side of a gamma ray burst, going on beyond what the eye could see. Raikou and the others were forced to the ground, such power emerging from the beam that it seemed to push down on them.

They gasped when they noticed the black sky metamorphose into a deep scarlet, the beam still shooting towards it, almost appearing to leak all over it and turn it into the color of blood. Clouds began to form, hiding away the moon behind growing storms that cackled with black lightning. Raikou was amazed…

What was happening?

_How_ was this happening?

He was ready to faint from it all.

Suddenly, though, a demonic laugh tore through the air, seeming to originate from the core of the beam. Mewtwo fell backwards from disbelief, as he instantly knew who owned the voice, although it was hard to focus his eyes on it as winds picked up from out of nowhere. The walls around them slowly faded away, eventually revealing the barren lands underneath crimson skies, as well as the war from outside, whose fighters ceased what they were doing and now stared in both fright and bewilderment at what was happening around them.

The end had come.

The new Legendary – the new God – was here.

A large fiver-fingered claw emerged from the beam, its size outmatching the very army that gazed upon it in horror. The shrilling roar of a beast filled the air, demonic hues occupying its voice, and it wasn't long before the rest of the Legendary's body freed itself from the crimson beam.

Raikou and the others were awestruck as they watched the colossal Legendary tower before them, its size expanding theirs by dozens of feet. It was a dragon, its scales a shining silver like the moon before it was covered up, its human-like claws clenched with hatred. Spikes decked various parts of its body, from the jaw line of its long snout, down its chest which was covered in black armor-like scales, and to the tip of its long, grayish horns. Its wings stretched out, the membrane there thick yet covered with visible veins, ands its three-clawed feet were planted firmly onto the ground, successfully allowing the beast to stand on its hind legs.

As the dragon's head turned downward, its pure-maroon eyes that held no pupil or even iris narrowing with anger and gazing down upon the – compared to its size – somewhat-small army below, it revealed that a metallic chest piece covered its upper torso. The piece of mechanical armor reached towards its back, and as Raikou focused his eyes on it, he could see that the armor was actually the extraction machine. The circular containers that held the Legendaries' essence rested upon it, as did Arceus -

Raikou gasped as he turned his attention to Arceus. The God Pokemon was still trapped in his orb-like cage, although the color of the orb had turned into a deep amethyst, resting in the middle of the chest piece. He also noticed that Arceus' fur had turned obsidian, his eyes matching the dragon's, as if he had been corrupted from the vileness that drenched the dragon's heart. It was obvious that he, as well as the Legendary essences, were the source for the demonic dragon's power.

"T-that's Terotrey's final experiment – a g-giant dragon Legendary?" Raikou managed to stumble out, awed by the size of the supposed experiment that he felt overwhelmed, fear rising into his heart as he gazed upon the unbelievable monster.

Mewtwo slowly shook his head as he muttered out the correct answer, his widened eyes eyeing the silver hair that ran down from the dragon's forehead to the tip of its long, swishing tail.

"No…Terotrey _is_ the dragon."

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

See you next chapter!


	20. Armageddon

Hey peoples!

Erm, yeah, sorry for the wait. Heh. -is mauled-

Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 20: Armageddon**

* * *

-ooo-

_Blood filled the air…as did death_.

Terotrey released a roar as he exposed himself from the clouds, black lightning hugging his figure. The battlefield below was filled with warriors – half of them from his robotic Pokemon army, and the other fleshed half belonging to Raikou: the exiled Legendary who had been attempting to rebel against him and stop his reign over the world from being created. Of course, the arrogant thunder tiger had failed to do so, seeing as how the dragon now held the Legendary essences, giving him complete power beyond all imaginations.

He soared through the air, his large wings flapping. As he flew by, the ground shook, his colossal size making it seem that he was a battleship mere inches away from crashing into the valleys below. However, he stayed afloat, watching in amusement as the rebelling Pokemon, when they were able to escape the robots for a few minor seconds, shot their attacks towards his underbelly. It was all useless; his power expanded theirs by unbelievable levels, and therefore their attacks only felt like simple pricks against his scaly skin.

He slowly opened his jaw as he made another round over the battlefield, releasing a cerulean beam that ate away the ground as it made contact. The dirt and rock exploded from the energy of it all, leaving behind trails of smoke similar to the aftereffects of a building's collapse. Although many of the opposing Pokemon managed to survive the deadly strikes, Terotrey knew it wouldn't be long before they all fell to his power.

He was God, after all.

-ooo-

Raikou couldn't believe his scarlet eyes.

He gazed down at the battlefield, watching as the monstrosity that was Terotrey tore away at it with beams, flying around in the midst of it so that no Pokemon could dare escape his wrath. Sure the thunder tiger himself was distant, as since Terotrey had taken off and began to attack the battlefield, Raikou had convinced his allies to grab the Legendaries' cages and transfer them to a safe location away from the danger zone. If there was hope of restoring the world back to its rightful place - if such a thing was even possible anymore - then the Legendaries needed to be protected until they could regain their essences…

…again: if such a thing was even possible anymore.

Anger suddenly took over the exile while Mewtwo and the others rolled the cages into a hidden cave. Before he realized it, Raikou had slammed his fists down onto the muddy ground in front of him, paying no heed to how wet dirt had splotched across his face in response to it.

Why…why did the world deserve this?

Why…why did the Pokemon in the battlefield had to die like this?

Why…_how_ could he let this happen?

Raikou shivered as he felt tears brim his eyes. Terotrey had proclaimed himself to be the arbiter – the bringer of light. However, all the thunder tiger saw was pain; a moment of liberation had been contorted into a war of misery. How were they going to stop Terotrey? Was there even a possibility that they could do so? He was the pure definition of pain rather than peace; he was the bringer of darkness rather than light…

…and he was the Devil rather than God.

"…Raikou?"

The thunder tiger sniffed, ignoring Mewtwo as the manmade Pokemon cooed his name from behind. The air around them was calm since they were a few miles away from the battlefield, although they could still sense the vibrations of Terotrey's catastrophic attacks as they struck the ground. The exile felt guilty for not being able to do anything; his warriors…_his friends_ were all fighting down there, and for what cause? There was no more heroism in all of this; it was just a bloodbath in which any favors towards them had been pushed away since Terotrey's transformation. Victory was oxymoronic for them, but yet if they even tried to run Terotrey would hunt them down as if they were nothing but mere bugs underneath his flyswatter. And there was also the robots…

Raikou suddenly blinked.

_The robots_…

Hope began to rise up from within the exile, and although a plan had formed in his mind – a plan that could turn the doubtful tables around - his face was etched with determination rather than even an implication of joy. His allies couldn't help but quirk their eyebrows, seeing as how the thunder tiger was now staring at the battleground in silence when only milliseconds ago he was on the bridge of breaking out into tears.

"Raikou-?"

The thunder tiger turned his head to Mewtwo, eyes glossy, yet they were narrowed all the same. "The robots," he then muttered both short and quickly. Mewtwo frowned in bewilderment, although he watched in interest as the thunder tiger stepped forward to focus his gaze on one simple object among the battlegrounds.

The Rocket base.

The base had been partially faded away during Terotrey's transformation. Now it looked like ruins among a desert background; but even then it was still intact enough to be classified as in working order. As Mewtwo stared at it like Raikou was, he, too, also rose his eyebrows up in realization.

Jeff and Skyler exchanged looks, Deoxys blinking while Drendan and Heatran waited for the explanation behind Raikou's weird statement. Eventually, though, Raikou turned to them, Mewtwo keeping quiet so he could see if his suspicions of the thunder tiger's thoughts were indeed accurate.

"The robots," the exile muttered again, this time with more feeling. His audience now switched glances between each other, wondering what the still-loyal minions of Terotrey had to do with defeating him. Raikou turned his eyes to the ground, mentally thinking over his plan once more before returning his gaze back to his allies. "The robots…they hunted for Legendaries by their essences, right?" He turned back around to face the battlefield once more, and right as Terotrey unleashed another beam against its already-scarred surface. The Pokemon had grown aware of his attacks, though, and therefore after every one, more and more fighters managed to avoid it. "So how about we turn Terotrey's minions against him?"

The others' jaws dropped, although they kept quiet nonetheless.

"We know that the robots are still loyal to Terotrey," Mewtwo continued for the thunder tiger, seeing as how he managed to figure what the exile had been planning, as well as tie the Rocket base into all of it, "however, we believe that the robots' main source of power lies within the base."

Raikou stepped forward. "If we can head down there, go into the base unnoticed, locate the control room for the robots…" He turned his head to eye the distant monstrosity that was Terotrey. "…we can make it so that the robots hunt down a certain target."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Deoxys then interrupted, moving her hands to motion for the others to stop. She placed a hand on her hip, her other one cupping her chin. "Are you trying to say that you want to go into the dragon's den – pun not intended – and risk getting ourselves killed just so we can walk into the base and try to find a room in it that might not even EXIST?"

"The robots need to be controlled from somewhere," Mewtwo retorted, crossing his arms. "And it wouldn't make sense to be anywhere but within that base. If we can get there, then we can change who the robots attack."

Deoxys shot a look of surprise to Heatran, in which shock glistened among his large eyes despite that his serious face hid it well. Drendan had already found the plan to be their best bet to any source of hope in the battle, while Jeff and Skyler were too busy thinking over the gruesome conclusions that came with Terotrey happening to notice them. In fact, that very fear resided in everybody, even the two who had thought up of the idea. Silence dominated them, and it seemed like their opinions on the strategy were being expressed through mere glances between one another's eyes.

Eventually, though, another ground shake snapped them away from their trance. Raikou immediately brought his eyes to the battlefield, now somewhat fearing that Terotrey could come down and smash in the Rocket base with or without the intention to. If this came to be then the current plan would go down the drain and they might as well kiss their planet goodbye.

"If anyone cares about my opinion," Jeff, who had recovered from his 'high' state quite a while ago, spoke out from atop Skyler's head. All eyes turned to him, but for once he didn't fidget from the gain of attention, and instead stepped forward until he was right on the Flygon's snout. A look of determination covered his expression, which seemed abnormal for the dopey Roselia. "I think it's better that we do that instead of just sitting here and waiting Terotrey to gain control of everything." He blinked at the end of his sentence, and as if he had forgotten something, he added, "…dudes."

No one bothered to point out the Roselia's oxymoronically mature behavior. Instead they narrowed their eyes and nodded to one another in final approval.

The battle wasn't over yet.

They were going to make sure of that.

-ooo-

The pebbles beneath Raikou and the others' feet crunched under pressure as the said Pokemon pushed themselves down the valley and towards the danger zone – the battlefield right in front of the Rocket base. Terotrey had disappeared behind the clouds once again, proving that he indeed was blinded by the arrogant fact that he believed his robot minions would be able to handle the rebelling Pokemon without his need of contribution. However, this didn't stop him from shooting out his beam attack every so often, although the majority of times he did it had lowered.

Raikou sighed in relief as he realized that this was an advantage. As soon as anything silver poked through the raging clouds above, he felt his heart plummet, despite that most of the time it was just a flash from a cackling piece of black lightning. The crimson sky behind it was hidden by it all, and rain tinted red like blood drizzled down, dampening the land beneath. None of this seemed to affect any of the warriors on the battleground, and therefore, regardless of their urges to turn back, Raikou and his allies sped forward towards the Rocket base as if it was Earth's only last hope.

Of course, in this case, it literally was.

They soon merged with the crowd of fighters, getting lost within their vast numbers. They were surprised to know that only a few robots bothered to attack them; apart from that, the unnatural Pokemon kept their sights on the members of the exile's army. Mewtwo and Deoxys flew forward, surveying the path up ahead, but in the process still keeping low so they could be camouflaged by the war. If Terotrey were to emerge suddenly, then they would rather not stick out among the crowd.

Soon they escaped the battlefield, finding themselves in the clear space that separated the danger zone from the base. Raikou could feel confidence build from within him – he was so close! If their theories were true…then the very key to stopping Terotrey resided within the thick walls of steel and concrete ahead -

A roar tore through the air, echoing across the valley and sounding louder than the thunderous stampede of the storms above.

Raikou froze, as did his allies.

Slowly their eyes turned upward to the raging, blackened heavens.

And only to meet a pair of pure-maroon eyes.

Another roar escaped from Terotrey's mouth, and the silver-haired dragon dove downwards towards them, wings folding in. The Legendary threw out his wings right before he landed, though, therefore lowering the extremities of the aftershock as his colossal body slammed its feet to the ground. He stood up tall, his figure blocking the Rocket base that lay only a few inches away from his swishing tail. Raikou could tell by his sudden landing that he held personal hatred for him, thus finding a reason to touch down altogether.

Despite the fear that ran through the exile's heart as the dragon's gaze bore into his, he slowly shifted his sight to the Rocket base, which was visible through the space between the Legendary's legs. Yes, he was practically staring Death in the face, but somehow he felt more courageous than he did before. Surely enough Terotrey was unaware of his plan to turn his robots against him, but that still didn't help the situation.

Suddenly, dozens of Fire Blasts, Hydro Pumps, Hyper Beams, and other attacks shot through the air and collided with Terotrey's front, bringing the dragon to emit a startling roar of pain. He stepped back from the force of the hit, his foot barely missing crashing into the Rocket base and crumbling it into rubble.

Raikou snapped his eyes backward, noticing that a majority of his fellow Pokemon had gathered and struck the Legendary with all they had. One of their attacks did nothing to him; however, all of them combined into a powerful collage had brought the monstrosity to nearly lose balance, the shock from the hit sending vicious pain all across his body. Terotrey snapped away from the lingering disorientation that came from the strike, and forced himself to straighten his posture as he roared out in anger. Without warning he began to charge up a beam that would be stronger than his previous ones – one that was fueled by the immense hatred that resided within him.

However, the process also distracted the dragon, making him oblivious to the fact that Raikou had run forward and between his legs like a treasure hunter escaping through a collapsing cave. He pushed his muscles to the limit to make it to the base after that, and all his allies could do was watch in amazement.

That is, until Terotrey noticed this.

The dragon snapped away from his charging attack, suppressing the blue beam by closing his jaw to cut off its source of origin. He swiftly turned his head around, the ground shaking from his movements, and he felt his face fall at the sight of the thunder tiger entering the ruined base. It was almost then and there did he realize the exile's plan…

…seeing as how he remembered that the control room for his robots resided within.

Terotrey roared out and immediately stepped forward, raising his fist to smash in the building. However, before he could do so, more of the collaged attacks from Raikou's army struck his back, causing him to keel forward and almost onto his knees. He emitted another howl of misery and snapped around to face the attackers, pure-maroon eyes narrowed with the definition of hatred. He knew he had to get rid of Raikou first, though…

-ooo-

Raikou panted as he made his way up fleets of stairs. The drums of war were muffled from the thick walls of the base, although he could see the sky clearly whenever he came across a collapsed ceiling or a puncture in the wall. The building was indeed bigger on the inside than it appeared on the out, but he didn't bother to become disheartened by this; he knew that Terotrey was right outside, as both of his roars for hatred and pain sounded closer than any other intruding sound.

He instead used this as motivation to increase his speed. He knew that the world was at stake and finding the control room was possibly the only way to defeat Terotrey. He didn't want to ponder on the probability that the robots would be weak compared to Terotrey's amplified power, or even at the fact that the control room was smashed in, the machines inside incapable of doing anything.

No…he kept his hopes up.

_Even Legendaries need hope sometimes_…

Soon the only thing he could hear was his paw-pads slapping against the tiled flooring, as well as his heavy breathing and quickened heartbeat. Despite the stinging pain that thrashed around within his muscles, he kept going; despite his worries for his comrades outside, he kept going; despite that he could be mere seconds away from death; he kept going.

And soon he found what he was looking for.

The control room was at the end of a long hallway, and inside machines of all sorts lit up with colorful lights and beeped with electronic sounds. Raikou was certain that this was the right room, seeing as how blueprints of various robotic Pokemon flashed across the large monitors in the room. Raikou could feel himself groan at the sight – it looked all too complex to the extent where it seemed like even a genius would have a hard time defining what was what.

His thoughts were subsided, though, when he felt the floor shake, nearly causing him to topple over. He rose his head, slightly disorientated from the unexplained rumble. He felt the cool air of outside rush across his face, the sounds of the now-visible storms above and the war among the battlefield rising in cleared volume. He felt his eyes widen at this, seeing as how he had been staring at a ceiling only seconds ago, and he switched his gaze to meet the pure-maroon eyes of Terotrey Horrifiance.

His heart stopped.

The dragon had torn off the building's roof, revealing every single room that was on the top floor of the base. Unfortunate to Raikou, the control room was one of these very rooms.

He felt his breath become trapped within the bowels of his throat as he gazed at the towering face of Terotrey, although he couldn't help but switch them to a peculiar group of buttons among one of the keyboards that lay not too far away. However, as Terotrey began to snarl, he no longer bothered to think of what the buttons were for…

…and instead lunged forward to push them immediately.

Terotrey grunted in shock from the sudden movement. Raikou kept his eyes on the monitor right above the keyboard, watching as information about the robots' attack strategies flashed across the screen. It wasn't long before files showed up, each showing its contents as planned battle strategies and formations Terotrey had conjured up for every occasion he could think of. It appeared that he had made all types of orders for the robots, even one where you could order them to hunt for one target and one target only –

Raikou blinked.

He immediately selected the aforementioned order, grateful that his fellow Pokemon had distracted Terotrey with another collaged strike. He entered Terotrey's name, and the database immediately recognized him. However, before the order could be final, it asked for the password.

Raikou felt his heart plummet. _There is a password?_

Terotrey roared, bringing Raikou to realize that he had little time.

He thought over what the silver-haired scientist had said to him. Thinking of possible words that amplified the Legendary's purpose, or what seemed to spark his interest, the thunder tiger began to panic when he realized the probability of him guessing it correctly.

_Is it 'god'?_ he thought to himself, turning around to enter it. The computer flashed red, proving that it was incorrect.

_How about 'essence'?_

Incorrect.

_Okay…'dragon'?_

Incorrect.

'_Arbiter'?_

Incorrect.

Raikou bit his lip, and he struggled to figure the password. He began to think over phrases that Terotrey had said before.

_Scorch the sinners from all the Earth. Build anew from their ashes _–

Raikou opened his eyes in realization.

He rushed forward and began to enter the three-letter word he was certain was the password.

_S_

Terotrey recovered from the strike, turning around to face Raikou. He growled and began to charge up a beam that would take out the thunder tiger, as well as the base altogether.

_I_

Raikou turned to gaze at Terotrey, realizing his attack. Absentmindedly, his claw slipped onto the final letter key for the password.

_N_

The screen flashed green.

Correct.

Immediately the familiar sounds of dozens of smoke detectors filled the air, and Terotrey cut off his attack once again, turning around with a bewildered look among his face.

And only to learn that every robot of his had gathered into a group in front of the battlefield, the members of Raikou's army ceasing their attacks out of their own confusion for the moment. Apart from the rumbles of thunder above, silence dominated every inch of the grounds.

A robotic Blaziken stepped forward, gaining an intimidating stance as it pointed its metallic finger to Terotrey. It was then when it muttered one word in an angry, hissing, and gurgling tone.

"_Essences_!"

Terotrey's face fell.

And the robots swarmed forward.

The dragon roared as he struggled to take off, the robots enshrouding him in a veil of silver as they struck every single part of his body. The clashing sound of shattering glass soon followed, and Raikou forced his head up in amazement of it all as he watched one of the containers among the extraction machine break, releasing the essence that was inside.

As the essence flew forward, heading straight towards the hidden Legendary cages, Terotrey howled in pain, his tail thrashing around as he was forced into the clouds once again. The robots clung to him, making him appear that he was covered in metallic locusts, and it didn't help with the case that he felt himself grow weaker from the loss of an essence. Soon his whimpers became distant as he, betraying robots and all, disappeared behind the clouds.

Despite this, every single Pokemon on the battlefield stared up in bewilderment at where Terotrey had vanished.

Had Terotrey been stopped?

Was this the end?

As soon as the air quieted down, Raikou emerged from the Rocket base, breathless from the moment and the fact that the plan had seemed to work. However, before he could ponder on anything else, he remembered the essence that had been freed from the strike, and turned his eyes to the direction in which the Legendaries' cages had been hidden away. While Mewtwo and his other allies ran up to him, asking him dozens of questions about his state and various other things he didn't catch, he ignored them and walked forward. Every Legendary knew that when an essence was left without a confinement of the sort, it returned to its original owner like the opposite pole of an attracting magnet.

But who? Whose essence had it been?

He was about to run towards the area to find out when a form coming from the location soon came into view. His breath became lodged in his throat as he recognized the sea-green eyes, smoky countenance, and albino hair this Legendary was known to hold.

"Darkrai…"

Raikou smiled with glee as he saw his long-lost buddy approach them. His allies grinned themselves, although the thunder tiger couldn't help himself as he ran forward and pounced on the nightmare Legendary, bringing them both to the ground.

"Kid…" the Pokemon heaved, staring at Raikou who was towering right over him. "Kid…get off…oy."

Raikou apologized and stepped off, allowing Darkrai to return to floating. The nightmare Legendary moaned in lingering pain, his eyes appearing to be droopy. "The first thing I remember is getting my essence extracted," he then began, grasping his aching head, "and then seeing you come into the lab before I fainted.

"As soon as I woke up I was in a cage in some cave surrounded by the other Legendaries, although they were all still unconscious. I freed myself and came out here in hoping to find out what the hell happened before doing anything else. I spotted you and…um…" He turned his gaze to the army. "…and _them_…so I floated over." He ran his hand over his face. "Now…can someone tell what the hell happened? And what in Bill Rogers' name is all this?" He outstretched his hands to everything around him.

Raikou wasted no time in explaining the story of what happened after the nightmare Legendary's fainting, including how the army had been built to fight against Terotrey, the silver-haired scientist's final experiment and what happened when he completed it, as well as how they managed to stop him.

Darkrai stared at him with widened eyes. "Whoa, kid…"

"But we stopped him now!" Raikou squealed with his grin returning, and all Darkrai did was roll his eyes.

"Kid…" he then began, moving closer. "Did you ever think about _how_ we're going to get the other essences freed from that extraction machine so we can revive the others?" His eyes were narrowed, his tone scolding.

Raikou's face fell. No…he hadn't exactly thought of that.

Darkrai crossed his arms. "And how are you sure Terotrey's stopped?" He quirked his eyebrow, although it was in the form of waiting for a satisfying answer rather than actually being needy for one.

Meanwhile, Jeff shot his nervous eyes towards the ground, finding himself gasping slightly when he noticed that a small pebble had begun to shake, soon the rocks around it joining in. "Uh, dudes…?"

Ignoring Jeff, Raikou stepped forward. "Because those robots were built for hunting Legendaries. It wouldn't make any sense if they didn't stop him!"

"-dudes…?"

Darkrai grunted. "He's probably more powerful than Arceus, and you're saying simple tin cans can bring him down?"

"–dudes…?"

"Are you complementing him?"

"–dudes…?"

"Hell no! I'm just saying that if the robots had taken care of him, then shouldn't his body be here right now?"

"-dudes…?"

"Maybe he landed somewhere else!"

"-dudes…?"

"I highly doubt it! What if he's still afloat up there and is right now powering up a beam attack to kill us all?"

"–dudes…?"

"I think the robots got him! We were about to send out a search party to confirm this!"

"–dudes…?"

"Oh yeah, like that would help! What if he's still alive?"

"–dudes…?"

"He's not alive because the stinkin' robots killed him!"

"–dudes…?"

"WHAT?" Raikou and Darkrai roared, turning their eyes to Jeff. Mewtwo and the others, who had been silently watching the debate with bewildered eyes rather than stepping in and voicing their own opinions, also switched their gazes to the Roselia.

Jeff didn't cringe from the hatred that drenched their tones, but instead pointed his rose hand downward. "Does anyone else feel that rumbling?"

Darkrai and Raikou exchanged looks, focusing their eyes to the ground where the rocks were indeed dancing around as if they were having seizures. Soon, the thunderous, stampeding sound that came with it grew in volume, eventually causing the whole ground to shake.

A roar tore through the air, although this time it was close.

Really close.

Raikou and the others brought their eyes upward, watching in disbelief as Terotrey emerged from the clouds, the attacking robots still clung to him. He howled in pain, despite that in his narrowed eyes there was pure hatred instead of misery.

And for some reason, Raikou felt as if the dragon was staring directly at him.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"

As Mewtwo screamed out this command, they all followed, rushing out of the way right before Terotrey impacted the ground. Debris as if from the aftermath explosion of a nuclear bomb rose from it, covering the air with dust. Raikou hacked as he struggled to keep up with the others, who had been hidden away behind the sandstorm veil, and as he heard the bewildered cries from the army, he tried to look back to find out what had happened…

…and only to see a wall of silver come flying towards him, wrapping around him and pulling him forward. It didn't take much to comprehend that he had been grabbed by something and when he came face-to-face with the narrowed eyes of Terotrey, he felt his heart stop in movement.

The dragon roared out, and Raikou turned his head to notice that Darkrai had also been caught from the beast's large claw, squirming to escape although the hold was too strong. It wasn't long before Terotrey's other hand came flying down towards the ground, a black hole spreading out wide across it in response. Raikou widened his eyes at this, staring at the sea of purple and black that swirled around within the hole.

It was a portal to another dimension.

The thunder tiger had seen Palkia do such a thing, despite that now, in a desperate attempt to flee the attacking robots, Terotrey, Darkrai and Raikou still in his hold, rolled over…

…and into the gateway.

As the dust cleared, Mewtwo caught a glimpse of this, and rushed forward towards it. However, the hole closed up before he could even get close, and therefore he fell onto his knees as everything quieted down, his eyes reflecting hurt. The others soon joined him, looks of pained shock covering their faces, and Mewtwo lunged forward to slam his fists against the ground. The robots who had been pushed off Terotrey from the escape now only stared emotionlessly at where it had taken place.

"Where are they?" Deoxys questioned, worry for the whereabouts of Darkrai and Raikou gracing her tone.

Mewtwo didn't answer.

He and the others, as well as the entire army, were helpless.

The exile and revived Legendary were in another dimension, in which the ability to travel between different worlds rest within the hands of only Terotrey.

Darkrai and Raikou were on their own now.

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued

* * *

**

Come on, Darkrai and Raikou! You can beat this! D8

Oh yeah, and a cookie for anyone who can remember who Bill Rogers is and catch the irony of Darkrai's statement.


	21. Covenant

Hey peoples!

Here's the next chapter!

Oh yeah, and for the answer about Darkrai's statement last chapter: Bill Rogers is a voice actor for the dubbed series of the Pokemon anime. He does tons of Pokemon voices, including some human characters like Brock. The ironic thing is is that Bill Rogers did the voice of Darkrai in the _Rise of Darkrai_ movie. Hur. xD

Well, anyway, enjoy the chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 21: Covenant****

* * *

**

-ooo-

Raikou wasn't quite sure what happened next after Terotrey had grabbed him and Darkrai, fleeing into another dimension afterwards to escape his betraying robots. The silver-haired dragon, even if he did carry the power of Arceus, could not even fight back against his metallic minions when they all ganged up on him like they did. Perhaps, Raikou had thought during the process of turning them against him, that his own weapons would be his own demise.

But, of course, he was wrong. The thunder tiger knew it was too good to be true – that a being of Terotrey's power would not go down because of his mere forgetfulness of the ones who originally stood beside him, even if the dragon's stupidity had indeed been revealed. Such strength tended to cloud one's mind, which was why Raikou was certain that even if the sin Legendary was able to gain control of the world, he would lose it in a matter of decades, possibly from a war he would be too distracted to prevent, or the neglectfulness towards his people that would eventually cause his banishment from the civilizations' faith.

Despite this, though, Terotrey's victory would involve the destruction of the Legendaries, which was why he needed to be stopped before he did something that spread apocalyptic mayhem all over the planet. His role as God would surely mark the beginning of a hellish reign…

It wasn't long before Raikou noticed the smothering darkness around him dissipate, opening in front of his body like a gateway of the sort. The next thing he knew was that he was launched forward by some force, flying out of the black space he had been trapped in and soon making painful contact with what felt like cold sand. He emitted a slight growl of nausea as he struggled to return to his feet, his vision slowly returning, the new world around him spinning in a heap of blurred purple. Eventually his eyes regained their ability to see, his ears replenishing their hearing, which was when he wandered his widened gaze over his surroundings in a quick motion. He felt his jaw drop in the midst of it, feeling both confused and worried at the same time.

The sky was made of a swishing purple, swirls of black cackling across it as if the atmosphere above was made up of a surreal sea of dark colors. In fact, there were no stars…no sun…no moon…just the sky that flashed with an eerie pattern, illuminating the desert backdrop around the thunder tiger in amethyst. Raikou allowed his head to snap around, his gaze traveling over the land, noticing that nothing else of the sort seemed to be in sight, as if the world he had been shot into was nothing but a calm desert. Dunes rose high, cacti and other plants that would've been native to the area nowhere to be seen, and as soon as Raikou opened his mouth he felt immediate dryness enshroud the inside.

The thunder tiger wanted to know where he was, but he instead brought his head up towards the spot among the sky where he had fallen out of, seeing the last inch of a portal close up right as he brought his eyes to it. He felt sudden fear take over him – on how, without a dimension-traveling portal, there was no way out of the deserted landscape he had been plunged into randomly. Of course, his interest to know the whereabouts of Darkrai and Terotrey prevented this from gaining all of his attention. Terotrey had been in a rush when he entered the portal, so obviously he couldn't control where everyone went exactly and therefore the location of him and Darkrai remained unknown to Raikou.

"Great…just great," the thunder tiger sighed to himself, although, for some reason, it was in the form of a whisper. He was all alone in a surreal world with no way to get out. It would be useless to travel forward – the land, Raikou could tell immediately, consisted entirely of desert, no other life forms apart from himself occupying it –

"KID! LOOK OUT!"

Raikou blinked, turning around towards the source of the yell…

…and only to meet a pair of sea-green eyes right before their owner collided with him, bringing them both flying backward and crashing harshly into the sand after a few ricochets across it. Raikou hacked as he dug himself out from the crater he formed, shaking any last specks of sand from his fur before turning to attend to the being that had crashed into him.

_Darkrai_…

The thunder tiger felt relief wash over him, his feeling of loneliness dissipating.

The nightmare Legendary coughed himself, regaining his floating stance as he recovered from the fall. It was obvious that he had been shot out of the portal right before it closed up, having no control where he went and instead colliding right with Raikou in the process of landing. Raikou didn't mind, though; he was just happy that he was no longer by himself in the strange, eventless world they were now trapped in.

Before he could question him on if he was okay, though, the nightmare Legendary lunged forward, grabbing Raikou and pulling him down to a crouch on the ground. The thunder tiger quirked his eyebrow in bewilderment, shooting a glance towards Darkrai's narrowed eyes, which were silent yet serious like the rest of his countenance and seeming to be glued to a spot among the sky. A purr of anger rose from within the Pokemon's throat, gritted teeth beginning to show from behind his red collar, and all Raikou did was cease his envy to ask about the sudden, unexplained crouch since Darkrai's facial expression was practically ordering for him to be quiet.

It was silent; the passing winds the only source for sound as they added more coldness to the barren landscape.

Raikou shifted his scarlet eyes to Darkrai once again, whose expression hadn't changed an inch despite that more of a minute had passed. The thunder tiger was tempted to at least whisper out the need to know why the nightmare Legendary seemed prepared for something, trying to get them both to hide against the ground, buried somewhat beneath the sand. However, as Darkrai's eyes narrowed even more until they were thin slits, Raikou widened his own gaze when he felt the sand that cushioned his body begin to vibrate.

The winds stopped.

The dunes shook.

The ground rumbled with the familiar thunderous sound of a stampede.

And, somehow, Raikou was able to tell of the cause before it even appeared.

_Terotrey_…

A portal opened up across the sky once again, maintaining the façade of a black hole or a simple rip amongst the pattern-like atmosphere. It wasn't long before the colossal countenance of Terotrey emerged from it, able to avoid being launched towards the ground and instead immediately lowering until he was hovering over the desert grounds like a surveying Fearow. With his pure-maroon eyes narrowed with hatred, he let out a roar. He was only a few feet above the ground, obviously aware that Raikou and Darkrai were somewhere in the proximity. Revenge decked the beast's mind, making him lust the sound of the aforementioned Pokemons' bones crunching beneath his strong grasp.

It was obvious he wasn't leaving until the exile and revived Legendary were dead.

"Get. _Down_," Darkrai whispered viciously between his clenched teeth. Raikou now understood why he had forced them both to the ground, hoping to blend in with the sand as it covered them. Terotrey had not been far behind after Darkrai entered the dimension, and therefore their only alternative to making it through the next hour was to stay hidden until they could come up with a plan that would somehow help the situation.

Without hesitation, the thunder tiger lowered his head alongside Darkrai's, practically praying to the corrupted figure of Arceus that it would be enough to keep them from Terotrey's sight. The dragon flew forward, heading straight towards them…

…and flew right past, oblivious to their position.

Raikou felt himself sigh in temporary relief as he eyed the distancing figure of Terotrey. Darkrai, on the other hand, only rose his head up for a second to calculate how far the sin Legendary was, before looking forward, obviously thinking of a plan. The thunder tiger was nervous when it came to emitting a sound of any sort, paranoid of Terotrey managing to hear it over the winds.

"We gotta get as far away from him as we can," Darkrai then whispered, Raikou blinking at the thought. "We can't stay in one position for long – no doubt would Terotrey find us if we did."

The thunder tiger soon nodded, slowly following Darkrai as the nightmare Legendary rose to a steady float. He then shot forward, Raikou looking back once more to confirm that Terotrey was nowhere close before following his comrade. The sand brushed away as he ran across the desert, Darkrai leading the way and making sure the path involved going behind tall dunes, in case Terotrey grew aware that they were on the run. Everything was quiet, which Raikou, for some reason, found unbearable and as an omen for upcoming doom.

Soon they both stopped behind a tall dune, leaning back to rest across the cold sand that it was made out of. Raikou, in order to calm his worries like he constantly had to, peaked over the edge to try and spot Terotrey in the distance…

The dragon wasn't there.

Raikou felt his heart plummet.

"Where's Terotrey?" he questioned almost instantly, now anxious to know of the sin Legendary's position. Darkrai felt himself scold their luck as he noticed this as well – that Terotrey was no longer in the spot he was originally surveying and had now disappeared from their sights altogether. Did he enter another dimension, perhaps? Was he on the ground now, hidden away by the dunes that marked the horizon? Raikou wanted an answer, and therefore turned to Darkrai to hear his suggestion.

However, before he could emit one, the ground shook violently once again, a loud thunder rising from what sounded like behind them –

They both immediately snapped around, widening their eyes as they soon stared at the towering figure of Terotrey, who was staring right back at them.

The dragon's teeth exposed themselves in the form of a vicious snarl, his eyes narrowing, and he slowly leaned forward until he was on all fours, which allowed him to impale his gaze into his preys' eyes more powerfully. The moment they were in was like the quiet time of a storm before a hellish tornado touched down, and Darkrai and Raikou found themselves nearly dying from fright then and there as they were now face-to-face with the Devil himself.

And he lusted for revenge.

Terotrey began to charge up one of his beam attacks, the blue energy that powered it beginning to originate from the back of his throat. Darkrai wasted no time in grabbing Raikou, forcing the thunder tiger onto his back and then taking off into the air. The dragon released the beam, its torrid surface barely skimming the skin of the nightmare Legendary as he barrel-rolled out of the way to dodge it. Raikou wrapped his forelegs around the Pokemon's neck and held on for dear life. Another roar escaped from Terotrey as the dragon took off as well, chasing after them.

More and more beam attacks shot from the sin Legendary's jaw, and despite that Darkrai was becoming fatigued from the weight of Raikou and the fast dodges he had to perform, the revived Legendary managed to make it out alive by the skin of his teeth. Terotrey grew more frustrated, increasing his speed and therefore allowing his bulky body to come flying towards Darkrai right as the said Pokemon noticed this and pulled off another evading maneuver. How the dragon's colossal size made Darkrai shake as he passed by unwillingly every time was practically throwing the nightmare Legendary from his spot in the air. Raikou was having a hard time holding on as well, his hind legs dangling from the end of Darkrai's body, somehow amplifying the illusion that they were hundreds of miles above the ground.

Terotrey recovered from his crash landing into the sand, his anger blinding him and therefore he wasted no time in plunging his fists into the ground. Darkrai, looking back at him for a split second, quirked his eyebrow at the strange action…

…but only to gasp when he turned his head forward and noticed that a pillar of fire had burst from the ground and right in front of him.

Soon, more and more of these pillars burst from the sand like geysers, shooting into the air in movements similar to rockets. The area became enshrouded with them, turning it into a heated jungle of infernos, and Darkrai, sweating from the temperature as Raikou was, struggled to avoid the vicious attack as new pillars shot up from unexpected places.

However, he couldn't dodge them forever.

As he flew by one, another shot up from right under him, hitting his underside slightly and causing him to groan outwards in pain. Raikou found himself bracing for impact when the Legendary then lost consciousness and headed straight towards the ground, crashing into the sand while pillars of fire surrounded the area, cutting off any more escape attempts. Raikou got off immediately, ignoring that they were trapped and instead concerned for the status of his ally, therefore shaking him, calling out his name in hopes of waking him. Darkrai's entire chest was burned badly, even his red collar blackened in some parts, and he showed no signs of waking anytime soon.

Another stomp from behind signaled that Terotrey had landed behind them, folding in his wings as pillars of fire immediately closed off the entrance, packing all of them into a large circle. Raikou snapped his gaze around, realizing the lack of exits and soon landed his eyes onto Terotrey as the dragon allowed a smirk to cover his snout. The raging infernos around them illuminated their eyes, brightening Raikou's fright and Terotrey's insanity.

"What's it feel like…Raikou?"

The thunder tiger felt himself blink as those words poured from Terotrey's mind – his telepathic voice finally revealing itself. His tone was slow and gothic, but yet loud as it surged through the air like the very tense atmosphere that was smothering them. The exile backed away slightly to hide Darkrai's fallen body behind his own, although Terotrey seemed to show no interest in it.

"Being the one about to die, I mean?" Terotrey spoke again, his jaw opening in the midst of it so his snarl could grow in volume. "Everyday you Legendaries fight with only each other, bringing death wherever you decide should be your battlefield. You never care how many innocent lives are lost – all you care about is yourselves."

"Kid…"

Raikou blinked, turning to the source of the whisper as he brought his eyes to Darkrai. The nightmare Legendary was slightly awake, yet still drowsy, although his regain of consciousness remained unknown to Terotrey since he was whispering. "Kid…you gotta get me onto that extraction machine…I…I think I…I…might have a way of getting us outta here…" Just as fast as he had spoken those words, he closed his eyes once again. Raikou, however, only returned his gaze to Terotrey.

"_Give up_," Terotrey snarled, stepping forward. "Resistance against me is futile; you will be punished for your sins – for your mistakes!"

Raikou widened his eyes at the intimidating threat, although he soon furrowed his brows. "You're a hypocrite, Terotrey. You cause pain to bring about your own reign. You don't allow forgiveness like Arceus would...like a _true _God would."

Terotrey snapped, roaring with anger. "_I WILL ALWAYS BE THE ONE AND ONLY GOD_!"

And with that he lunged forward, hoping to pounce on Raikou and Darkrai then and there. The thunder tiger gasped before he hoisted Darkrai onto his back and struggled to get out of the way of the oncoming behemoth, managing to move to the side as Terotrey landed harshly across the ground. However, the dragon couldn't stop then; his body twisted as he rolled from the momentum of the pounce, moving forward just an inch…

…and into the wall of fire that surrounded them.

Terotrey moaned in agony as the flames impaled his figure, launching his body out the other side and into the open. Some of his scales were singed, smoking even, and all he could do was whimper in pain as he collided with the sandy ground in a thunderous motion. Raikou was relieved when he saw the wall of fire that surrounded him die down, allowing him to jump out with Darkrai still clinging to his back. As he saw Terotrey's fallen figure, he knew the dragon wouldn't be down for long; therefore he nudged the nightmare Legendary, waking the being up. Darkrai brought his droopy eyes towards the sin Legendary, who was already in the midst of getting up, shaking away any lingering disorientation that had come with the crash.

Immediately the phantom rose to an unsteady float, practically pulling Raikou with him as he led forward and quickly grabbed hold onto one of the ledges that decked the extraction machine's surface – the chest piece to the vicious dragon. Raikou wrapped his forelegs around Darkrai's neck once again, shaking slightly as he felt Terotrey notice their position and roar with anger. However, right before the dragon could swat them off, Darkrai moved closer to the containers that held the Legendaries' essences, raising his claw as he then brought it forward with strength and smashed it against the glass that imprisoned one of the essences.

Terotrey keeled over, as if in pain, Darkrai and Raikou dangling from their grasp onto the extraction machine. Quickly the phantom turned to the thunder tiger, who was examining the dragon's weird response when pressure of any sort was pushed towards the essences. "Hold on, kid!" Darkrai ordered, bringing the exile to eye him bewilderedly…

…that is, before the nightmare Legendary smashed his fist yet again onto another container.

Terotrey whimpered as he immediately took off – like a desperate animal trying to flee from whatever was attacking it. However, Darkrai held on with all his might, trying his best to break open one of the containers – _any_ of the containers, because a loss of an essence made the dragon weaker. The glass was quite strong, though, which Darkrai found himself struggling slightly as he tried to free an essence and yet avoid being thrown off at the same time (Terotrey was now shooting through the air, blinded by pain).

Raikou looked down, noticing how high they were from the ground. He tightened his grip around Darkrai's neck, feeling slight acrophobia at the sight. He felt like he was going to be thrown off any second; it was becoming harder and harder to hold onto his ally with every sharp turn Terotrey made.

Darkrai rose his claw upwards, throwing it down onto the container once again, and all Terotrey did was roar in agony. The dragon eventually, though, did the only thing he could manage to do.

Open up a portal into a different dimension.

Raikou gasped as he saw a large hole expand in front of them, the way a grunt emitted from above proving that Darkrai had noticed this as well. The nightmare Legendary gritted his teeth, returning his eyes to the container whose essence he wasn't quite sure held. All he knew was that it was mandatory to free it – if there were any hopes of defeating Terotrey on their own, then they needed to weaken him as much as they could. The phantom quickly rose his claw up, shadowy energy forming around it as he slashed it across the glass, growling when he realized that it just wouldn't break despite.

"Darkrai!" Raikou called out, as if warning him that the portal was coming up. Darkrai snapped around to eye it once again with stressed eyes.

They didn't know what was in the dimension they were heading to, but because of the unknown dangers that could lurk inside, Darkrai continued to bash the glass with all he could in hopes of breaking it before they entered the portal. Eventually, though, his sight became dark, as if he was blinded, although he could tell it was because they were now traveling to a different dimension – a new surreal world.

He felt himself mentally curse right before the new world opened up just as fast as they had left the one prior. It was a volcanic terrain, the ground exploding in a mesh of lava, volcanoes in the far distance bright with glowing fire. Smoke from their bellowing funnels rose into the air like endless clouds, painting the sky the color of ash that left both Raikou and Darkrai feeling smothered in the heated air.

Terotrey, on the other hand, was still left within a void of agony, which was why he only continued forward like he had been doing, shooting through the air in an attempt to shake Darkrai and Raikou off.

Raikou looked upward as this occurred. He could sense that Darkrai was struggling to hold on; if they lost their hold then Terotrey would be able to recover and kill them on the spot. The nightmare Legendary was still weakened from the obstacles he had to go through before, which explained why his narrowed eyes looked more drowsy than serious. The thunder tiger knew that at any second his hold would give out, sending them both sprawling towards the volcanic land below.

Of course, this was why the exile slowly narrowed his own eyes in determination.

Slowly he began to climb up, using Darkrai's shoulders as support. The nightmare Legendary felt his eyebrow quirk. "Kid…w-what are you doing?"

Raikou, nearly losing balance when Terotrey suddenly dove downward, ignored Darkrai and instead threw his own paw backward, then bringing it forward as electricity began to spark from the ends of his claws.

He jabbed it into the container Darkrai had been attacking…

…which was the last it could take.

The glass shattered, a bright light beaming from it as the essence flew outward and into the air. Terotrey emitted a roar of pure pain, his wings giving out then and there, sending him, Darkrai, and Raikou sprawling towards the ground like a plane on the verge of crashing.

Darkrai closed his eyes, bracing himself, as Raikou did.

They jerked forward when they felt Terotrey hit the ground. Fortunate to them, the dragon had rolled onto his back right before, which aided them in avoiding getting hit by any splotches of hot, melted rock that surged out of the ground in response. As Terotrey, his eyes slowly closing, allowed his head to fall back against the ground, Raikou recovered from the impact.

"Darkrai?" he called out as he regained his thoughts. Terotrey had been knocked out, it seemed, and all the thunder tiger cared for was finding Darkrai before doing anything else.

His eyes soon wandered onto a dark form a few feet away.

The exile gasped as he jumped off Terotrey's stomach, making sure to avoid stepping into puddles of lava that covered the hard ground below while he ran over to Darkrai's fallen figure. The nightmare Legendary appeared unconscious as well, his face reflecting pain and tiredness, although his eyes soon opened into slits.

"Ugh…kid…" the phantom muttered out, slowly shifted his head so he could look at Raikou.

Raikou put on a face of concern. "You look hurt…"

"Really?" Darkrai then coughed out, a sarcastic tone riding his voice. "Gee, I wonder where you got that vibe from, 'cause I sure as hell ain't show no signs of being in unbearable. Undeniable. _Incomparable_. PAIN!" He coughed again. "Ugh, I'm getting too old for this crap…"

Raikou couldn't help but let out a relived chuckle at Darkrai's sense of misplaced humor.

The phantom turned his head to the exile. "Kid…where's Terotrey?"

The thunder tiger blinked in realization, remembering Terotrey. He was about to turn around to eye his fallen figure when the ground began to vibrate, and he slowly brought his eyes to face the source.

He met the pure-maroon ones of a wide-awake and angry Terotrey.

The dragon roared out. Two essence containers upon the extraction machine were now broken – one, which held the essence belonging to Darkrai, and the other, in which the essence it held was flying around in the sky, unable to reach its owner since he or she was in a different dimension.

Quickly Raikou hoisted Darkrai onto his back, jumping out of the way right as Terotrey smashed his fists against the ground. Lava surged out of it like geysers, although Terotrey paid no heed to it, instead chasing after the thunder tiger and revived Legendary on foot – his wings too weak to carry him. Raikou struggled to avoid the sin Legendary, as well as lava as the ground began to erupt like the very volcanoes that traced the horizon. The air grew hotter, the ground beginning to melt as lava rose from beneath. Before Raikou knew it, his pathway had diminished and was replaced by a sea of yellowish, melted rock.

He turned his head to eye Terotrey as the dragon approached. A beam was already charging in the back of the creature's throat, and he soon shot it out, snarling when Raikou dodged it, it instead hitting the lava pool in front of him, causing a short wave to glide across its surface.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" the sin Legendary snarled as Raikou began to run towards a cave in a nearby mountain. The dragon immediately followed, the ground breaking beneath his stomps as lava dominated the area, turning it into an ocean of melted rock.

Raikou stopped for a brief moment once he had entered the dark cave. The sounds of exploding ground outside were muffled from the thick walls, which ran upward like a tower rather than deeper into the ground like catacombs. The top was barely seeable, and with the way ashes covered the ground, crumbling underneath Raikou's paws, the thunder tiger could tell that the whole thing was a dormant volcano of the sort. As he readjusted Darkrai on his back so the nightmare Legendary wouldn't fall off, the exhausted exile turned towards the entrance, wondering if Terotrey had followed.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

The isolation from the sin Legendary somehow made Raikou worry. It was suspicious and eventless – something uncommon in such a time when one was being chased by a hellish fiend determined to smash them into pieces. Raikou felt his teeth grit at the thought, although it was mostly out of anger than nervousness.

"Kid…" he suddenly heard Darkrai mumble, his head dangling over the edge right beside Raikou's face. The thunder tiger, narrowed eyes wandering over his surroundings in search of any signs of Terotrey's presence, replied with a grunt to show that he was listening. "We…need to free those essences," the nightmare Legendary explained, his voice slow. "Terotrey grows weaker every time…we free one. You need to get as many as you can…freed."

Raikou frowned in disbelief. "How can I do that, though? We managed to free one, but almost died in the process…"

Muttering out a response was useless, because Darkrai had already given into his fatigue once more and fainted.

The thunder tiger felt himself curse at his luck. Before he could do much of anything else, though, he was thrown backward when Terotrey burst through the wall, rocks tumbling outwards and all across the ashy ground. Raikou recovered as fast as he could, gazing in horror at the sin Legendary as the dragon began to snarl again, which convinced the thunder tiger to back up against the wall.

"_Scared_?" Terotrey spoke, stepping forward with a large stomp, and Raikou couldn't help but eye the ground because of it, examining how fragile it seemed to be, coming up with a plan then and there. "_You should be_!"

And as Terotrey released another beam attack, Raikou ran out of the way, eyeing a ledge upon the wall as it came close. As if it was instinct he immediately hopped to the next one, doing the same with the one right above it. Soon he was jumping across the ledges that ran up the tower like stairs, and all Terotrey did was turn around to eye the thunder tiger, who was now high enough to be eye-level with the dragon's tall figure.

"Run all you want!" he snarled, slamming his claw against a ledge right as Raikou passed it. "You can't escape; death is inevitable!"

Eventually Raikou came up to a long ledge close to the ceiling, Terotrey impaling his claws into the wall so he could hoist himself up to the exile's level. With no other ledges – with no other escape - Raikou was trapped, and all the thunder tiger did was turn to face Terotrey's gleaming eyes, his face horror-stricken.

"My whole life," Terotrey began, bringing his snout closer to Raikou, "I wanted a world without pain or crime! You won't dare take that way from me!" He chuckled. "Not as you could anymore, anyway. You were lucky the first time, but now not even your allies are here; you're all alone. Poor…little…measly…Raikou…_is all alone_!

"I am God. I am the redeemer – the arbiter!" He slammed his claw right beside Raikou, causing the thunder tiger to jump. It was obvious the dragon wanted the exile to be scared before he killed him and the fallen Legendary that lay on his back. "Do what you want, Raikou, but you won't be able to defeat me!"

Raikou turned his eyes downward, noticing that the pebbles right by his paw were beginning to shake. He wanted to smile at the sight, but instead forced a look of anger to cover his face. "I'm not scared of you!" he then retorted and Terotrey pulled back, slightly surprised, although his intimidating expression returned just as fast.

"Oh? And why's that?" the dragon asked, feeling his devilish smile come to his snout at Raikou's denial to accept the 'truth'.

Raikou smirked. "Because, unlike you, I've learned not to let my arrogance blind me."

Terotrey cocked his head at the weird statement.

That is, until the ground began to shake, Terotrey nearly loosing balance from it all.

Raikou's plan had worked.

Rocks began tumbling down from above as the ceiling caved in from the quake. Terotrey grunted as the rocks smashed into him, forcing his head downward where he then noticed that the floor beneath his feet was crumbling.

And because all of the stomping he had done chasing Raikou had awoken the volcano.

Terotrey shot his head up to eye Raikou with anger; however, before he could do anything else, the ground gave out, and he roared as he stabbed his claws into the ledge Raikou was standing on in hopes of avoid falling into the newly-formed pit below.

However, as more rocks tumbled from above, smashing into his face, Terotrey lost his grip and was sent tumbling down. Raikou ran over to the edge, watching as the dragon then splashed into the lake of lava that now lay below, his whimpers managing to come out despite. His head burst from the melted rock as it burned him, the heat tearing away at his scales and the soft membrane of his wings. No matter what he did, though, there was no support to stand on or escape with.

And therefore all Terotrey Horrifiance could do was let out roars of pain as the lava soon swallowed him up altogether.

Raikou felt his heartbeat quicken at the sight, the echoes of Terotrey's last roars slowly diminishing into thin air.

Suddenly, a large beam of white shot from the lava, shooting upward into the air like a gamma ray burst. Following this, the essences of the Legendaries – every single one of them – burst from it and into the sky, circling around each other until a pink and black one – Palkia's, Raikou could tell, stopped midway. Being the only one holding the ability to do so, it opened up a portal – no doubt one that led back to the right dimension where the Legendaries were; where their long-lost owners were.

The thunder tiger couldn't believe his eyes. The essences – all of them…were freed. Did that mean Terotrey was…

…dead?

Raikou smiled. It was over. It was finally over.

As the volcano prepared itself to erupt, Raikou shot one last look to the sea of lava as it began to shoot up the tower. With Darkrai still on his back, the exile quickly hopped up on a nearby edge and onto the roof, then jumping into the portal Palkia's essence had created and, with the others, had already entered.

-ooo-

Since Terotrey had traveled to another dimension with Raikou and Darkrai, the battlefield of the war had grown quiet. The storm above had dissipated, revealing the crimson skies underneath. The army had settled down, all displaying worry of Raikou and Darkrai's safety, while Mewtwo, Deoxys, Heatran, Drendan, and Jeff and Skyler sat by the destroyed Rocket base. Hours had passed, but even then none of them had calmed down from the incident. They all constantly worried for Raikou and Darkrai.

Were they okay?

Had Terotrey killed them?

Mewtwo rose his head slightly as a robot came by him, its expression emotionless, as usual. All of the robots had spread out over the area, unable to hunt down their target since he was in another dimension. Deoxys, looking even more depressed, slowly placed her hand over Mewtwo's. She then leaned her head against his shoulder, where Mewtwo sighed before placing his head on top of hers.

What were they going to do?

Jeff, who was sitting on top of Skyler's head, sniffed, appearing ready to break out into tears. "I never got to tell Raikou that he was…like…like…MY MAIN DUDE!" He cried hysterically, covering his tear-stained face with his rose hands, and Skyler patted him on the head affectionately, holding back his own tears.

That is, until he rose his eyes up…

…and spotted a portal form in the sky.

"Mates…" he began slowly, disbelief covering his voice at first. "Mates! MATES!"

Mewtwo and the others turned to face him, allowing their eyes to wander where his claw was pointing to, and they gasped themselves when they saw the portal, as well as a familiar yellowish form fall out of it.

"RAIKOU! DARKRAI!" Deoxys called out. The whole army seemed to stop what they were doing and turn to look at the said thunder tiger and phantom as they fell towards the ground by the Rocket base. Deoxys and Mewtwo immediately flew forward to catch them, bringing them softly to the ground afterwards where the rest of their allies covered them almost instantly, asking tons of questions despite Raikou's drowsy state.

However, their eyes returned to the portal again when essences burst from it, flying downwards and towards the cave where the rest of the weakened Legendaries had been placed for safety. Meanwhile, Mewtwo turned to Raikou as the thunder tiger finally recovered from the trip, feeling himself smile like a drugged person when he realized he was finally home.

That it was finally over.

Heatran, on the other hand, had stayed in the back, observing the essences as they came out of the portal. His eyes slightly widened as he realized something, which he quickly rushed forward and towards Raikou.

"Raikou," he began, "where is Arceus?"

Realizing that he hadn't remembered about the God Pokemon, the exile immediately returned to his feet, growing anxious as he was certain he never saw Arceus escape the lava.

Wait…then did that mean -?

Raikou gasped as he then turned around to face the portal.

And only to see the pure-maroon eyes of Terotrey as he emerged from it.

He wasn't dead.

It wasn't over.

His body was torn up, blood pouring down from his burnt scales. The extraction machine had been partially melted from the lava, which explained how the essences were freed, although Arceus was still corrupted, trapped within his orb prison in the middle of the chest piece.

No one had noticed Terotrey sneak in, and therefore, the beam the dragon had been charging up was already ready to be released.

The beam shot forward and towards Raikou and his allies, all of them too frozen in place to dodge it. It was coming towards them like a blue behemoth determined to kill, proving that Terotrey wanted Raikou, Darkrai, and all the rest of his comrades dead then and there.

Raikou's life flashed before his eyes as the beam came closer.

It was over for him –

Raikou stumbled back when he saw a giant figure appear in front of him, the being throwing her arms up and immediately blocking the beam from shooting forward. The thunder tiger widened his eyes as he then realized who it was.

Palkia!

The revived Legendary narrowed her eyes as she continued to push back on the powerful beam with her armored arms. However, Terotrey kept shooting it out of his mouth, making the attack endless and deadlier by the second. The space originator was already beginning to lose her grasp of it – at any second it would shoot right past her and into its target.

That is, until Rayquaza, Dialga, Groudon, Kyogre, Zapdos, Entei, Giratina, and the rest of the now-revived Legendaries appeared beside her, launching their own beams that collided with Terotrey's…

…and therefore reflected it back.

Terotrey widened his eyes as the beam retaliated onto him, shooting towards him and impaling him altogether.

The dragon roared in immense pain as the beam shot through his front and out his back, continuing onward until it dissipated. The extraction machine practically shattered then and there from the power of the hit, Arceus' cage breaking and releasing the true God of the world. Slowly Arceus' fur lost its obsidian hue to its original albino, his eyes regaining their proud gold color.

Terotrey, on the other hand, began to fall towards the ground. With the loss of the extraction machine – with the loss of the power he had been waiting so long to obtain, his dragon body shattered away, revealing his normal human self. His expression displayed a look of both disbelief and pain. All he wanted was a perfect world – a world he could control and watch over; but that dream was dying away…

…just like him.

"Im…impossible…"

And with his last word muttered, he closed his eyes, no longer fighting death as it came to him - and he faded away right before he hit the ground.

Arceus, however, allowed his gold eyes to glow brightly as a white light shot from him, engulfing the land below and seething through the ground like a pool of expanding water. Raikou and his allies blinked to each other before the white light surged through the ground right beneath their feet, the army doing the same when it came to them.

Everyone could slowly feel their bodies become weightless, beginning to rise into the air as the white light headed onward to engulf the whole world.

However, for Raikou, everything went black as he gave into his fatigue.

-ooo-

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

8O

Hehe, sucks to be Terotrey. :D

I just hoped he didn't seem to go down too easily...

Only one more chapter and this story is over. T-T


	22. Forgiveness

Hey peoples!

...This is the last chapter.

Ah well, it was fun while it lasted. I enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 22: Forgiveness**

* * *

-ooo-

"Raikou…please wake up…"

That voice…it sounded so familiar – like a vocal memory of the sort, seething into Raikou's mind like the very coldness that began to climb up his forelegs. His sight was enshrouded in darkness, his hearing only on the verge of returning to normal, which was why he couldn't fully comprehend the gender of whoever was calling out to him, obviously trying to coax him to wake. He found himself wondering if it was Jeff, as the Roselia had been the one to wake him in a similar moment quite a while ago, which, to Raikou, felt like years had gone by since.

The war with Terotrey…it appeared that it took more than an entire millennia to finish; when, in reality, it had spanned across a time range of only a few weeks. These weeks were hard, tedious, filled with tribulations every living organism out there couldn't possibly comprehend – every warrior could not outmatch, despite that the Legendaries, who had been the main victims, most likely saw this as another attempt towards world domination like all the other occasions in the past generation. This wasn't the first time a human grew insane from the advantages a Legendary's strength could bring; oh no, it was not – it was far from being the first time.

"Raikou…open your eyes…"

There it was again; that voice. Raikou could feel his nose scrunch up in response – a reflex that brought his snoozing face to display conflict and bewilderment among trying to identify the mysterious coaxer. The exile knew now, due to his halfway-replenished hearing sense, that it wasn't Jefferson Drewyer Roselia like he had speculated at first. In fact, he was convinced it wasn't Mewtwo, Deoxys, Heatran, Drendan, or even Skyler. The tone was feminine, belonging to a strong owner who, as of now, was apparently carrying slight compassion for his status. No doubt was she worried for him; but if she wasn't one of his allies, then who was she?

Raikou did not remember much of what happened after Terotrey was killed. Arceus had been released just like the Legendaries only minutes before, and with their combined powers had finally slain the aforementioned being. In the process, Arceus had engulfed the world in light, exorcizing his corrupted figure away, and also drawing out and destroying any leftover evil that was lingering in the air around the deceased scientist's gravesite. It was a sort of revelation, you could say; the religious aftermath of Armageddon when the planet renewed itself; although, in this case, the act wasn't as epic as pictured in the bible.

"Raikou…come on…please wake up…"

The exile found himself succumbing to wake as each memory of prior times found their way back into his mind. His amnesiac moment was beginning to dissipate, and, alongside it, his drowsiness – the fatigue brought onto him by the battle with Terotrey. Because of this, he noticed the ability to open his eyes come into his control, his sense of feel returning and therefore allowing the coldness of the room he was in to become known. His fur was damp; the floor colder than the atmosphere around him, which seemed to carry a quiet hue of calmness. If there was any action – any sort of conflict happening in the room, then the semblance that existed did not match it. It was because of this did Raikou feel relaxed, no longer hesitating to spend time reconfiguring himself before finally releasing his eyes to gaze upon the surroundings.

It was blurry at first, and light decked the ceiling, or what he thought was the ceiling. He was laying down on his side, the frozen touch of the granite floor cushioning his cheek and the rest of his body. Lights shone from above, reflecting off the gold color that the walls around him seemed to portray. As his vision sorted itself, the smoky veil that doused it dissipating with every small blink he took through his squinted eyes, he was able to see his own fallen countenance being mimicked from the mirroring architecture of the room. He remembered only one place that held such attributes among its walls and flooring, which the thought of it brought both comfort and even more confusion to his state.

The Hall of Legends.

What was he doing here, he wondered? Had he been brought here after Arceus' revelation?

It was also at this realization did new questions come to mind – questions that grew antsy to liberate themselves through his mouth. Where were the other Legendaries? Were they okay? Where were his allies, or Atsila's army?

Was it over? Was it finally over for sure, or was this simply a false illusion of peace when the tables had really turned at the last minute?

No…for some reason Raikou was certain that it was over; that Terotrey was finally dead and there was no need for fear to still exist. In the midst of this thought, Raikou found himself growing curious to know who had been coaxing him to wake earlier. Now that he was fully aware of his surroundings, he was able to raise his head and spot the mirrored image of the said mysterious caller as they were reflected across the wall, shown standing right behind him.

He quirked his eyebrow as he focused on it.

Blue skin…

Dog-like countenance…

A crystalline head ornament that was attached to its head…

Raikou's eyes had only begun to brighten with realization when the said coaxer cooed out his name in the loving voice he had been so longing to hear.

"Raikou…"

_Suicune_…

Immediately the thunder tiger rolled around so he could face the being that he presumed was his long-lost lover – one of the many Legendaries who had been revived in the midst of Terotrey's defeat.

And, who not to say, there _she_ was, gazing at him with those scarlet eyes he had been lusting to see again; the scarlet eyes whom he had fought Death directly for; the scarlet eyes that served as his motivation to not give up; to not surrender; to not go down without a fight.

The scarlet eyes he had finally been reunited with.

A big smile found its way onto Raikou's snout, his voice coming out as a breathless gasp – most likely out of grateful confirmation.

"Suicune!"

The water dog grinned herself as she noticed that he was awake. "Raikou!"

Needless to say, despite that the said thunder tiger was struggling to get up then and there and was on the verge of finally gaining balance, she purred in joy and ran forward, colliding with the exile. Together they crashed to the ground in a laughing heap, glad that the other was there, and that they were finally reunited after what felt like years apart. They nuzzled, licked, and everything else that affectionate lovers would do after coming together once again, and, in the midst of it all, Raikou didn't even care about how much his back ached from all the pounces Suicune gave him, giggling herself like the childish Pokemon Raikou was always proclaimed to be. No, he didn't care at all; in fact, all of his worries dissipated then and there, as if Suicune was the cure for every single type of external and internal tribulation that had been conflicting with him.

"I'm so glad you're okay," the water dog commented as she pulled away from a nuzzle under his chin. Raikou blinked, the blush on his cheeks still apparent, although her words had distracted him from trying to hide it. Instead, the exile looked at her, his eyebrows slightly furrowing.

"'I'm okay'?" he then repeated, tone displaying his offended thoughts. "Screw me! What about you?" He leaned in, watching her with worried eyes, slight hesitation swimming around in his irises. "Are _you_ okay?"

Suicune chuckled on how overprotective he had sounded. Of course, she wasn't surprised that he wouldn't care for his own safety, but instead feel only concerned to know the status of hers. He had lost her a while ago to Terotrey; it made sense for him to be paranoid around the topic of her being hurt, despite that she was just fine, and all thanks to him. She brought her eyes to him, softness radiating from her gaze that somehow spoke her words of assurance for her, convincing Raikou to smile anyway. "I'm fine…Raikou," she murmured, tone soft and calm, yet filled with a ghost of pure joy – like an echo that was taking a while to dissipate. "And all because of you." She turned her gaze downward, her small smile growing big as her next words poured quietly from her lips. "You did it."

Raikou, relieved that she was all right, could feel himself cock his head at her statement, regardless that the answer behind it was obvious. "What'd I do?" he asked, his cluelessness showing through the goofy-looking quirked eyebrow Suicune had always expected a lot from her counterpart, and therefore had grown satisfied towards seeing.

Nonetheless, she chuckled towards his obliviousness. "You stopped Terotrey, Raikou. You won – _we_ won, and all because of you." As Raikou smiled among the remembrance of it, Suicune added, "Every Legendary is back to normal now."

The thunder tiger blinked at those last words, his earlier questions peaking into his mind and coming out his mouth just as fast as they had been resurrected. "Where are the other Legendaries?" he began, his tone swift to where Suicune struggled to comprehend what he said. "Is everyone okay? Where are Mewtwo, Deoxys, and Heatran-"

"Raikou!" Suicune moaned out, ceasing the thunder tiger instantly. Her annoyed eyes shook themselves back into a warm veil, however, and her smile returned, replacing her bewildered frown. "Everyone's fine. In fact…" She turned around, pointing towards a golden hallway nearby that appeared deserted, but yet led down to somewhere important. "They're all waiting for you. Everyone's been waiting for you. I'm not the only one who has thanks to give."

The exile quirked his eyebrow, but before he could ask her on what she entirely meant, the water dog was already halfway out the door. "Come on," was all she muttered, voice drenched in softness, and Raikou found himself shrugging to no one in particular as he moved forward and followed her.

They both made their way down the hall, Raikou silent the whole time, seeing as how he somehow knew all of the questions he wanted to ask would soon be answered. Suicune stayed in front, leading him, yet not turning to face him at all, despite that the exile could tell her smile was still present. In fact, when they both reached a closed door, Raikou recognized the hieroglyphics on the front and mentally-dubbed it as the entrance into the meeting room, where he began to wonder if that's where everyone was located.

Slowly Suicune slid her paw down the door's gold surface, feeling its genuine coldness reach her paw pads, and as the door opened, revealing the cathedral-sized room behind, Raikou felt his eyes widen as high calls of cheer reached his ears in response.

And all because every single Legendary inside had broke out into victorious chants upon the thunder tiger's long-awaited arrival. He allowed his surprised scarlet eyes to sail across the grateful expressions that rested on the Legendaries' faces, as well as on those that belonged to Atsila, Bouldarin, and the remaining members of the army that blended in well with the collage of Pokemon who were cheering for him.

Cheering.

Cheering.

And more cheering.

Raikou felt his smile return at the sight – at the realization that every single Legendary – every single Pokemon in the room was cheering for him. They were actually cheering for him. Him. Such a thing had been proclaimed oxymoronic and impossible to happen only weeks ago; but now, the looks on the Legendaries' faces were, for once, not directed towards one of their own, but instead him. He was being praised, clapped for, and mentally complimented by each ruler of natural balance that currently existed; and all because he did something right.

All because he was a hero.

The thunder tiger turned his happy expression towards his lover, in which the said water dog had already joined in with her Legendary comrades, cheering for him. As he met her gaze, she nodded, physically signaling that he deserved to walk forward and accept the renown and thanks he had earned. Even in such times of darkness, he had continued to move along, fighting for the sake of Legendaries even when he wasn't one himself. When Death stared him in the face, it only motivated him to continue. He may not have been a Legendary, but he showed more courage than one has ever done before. Needless to say, as the Legendaries and Pokemon army's cheers echoed throughout the meeting room, Raikou realized the aforementioned thought, grinning to prove that he was convinced he did something right; and, as to add, he was quite proud of himself.

However, instead of boasting arrogantly like he would've done in the past, he basked in the moment by walking forward, immediately being covered by the Legendaries, who took that time to say their thanks out loud, some even reaching forward to pat the exile affectionately on the head.

"Good job, Raikou!"

"I always knew you could do it!"

"You sure showed us!"

"What were you exiled for again? I forget…"

Raikou allowed his grin to widen as he made eye contact with every single Legendary that surrounded him. There was so much cheer in the air…he started to feel his ears ring; although, he didn't mind due to the fact that this – actually being praised for victory – was new to him.

"MY MAIN DUDE'S BACK!"

The exile stopped in movement as this very sentence burst though the air, the familiar tone somehow louder than the cheers from the surrounding Legendaries. He wandered his bewildered eyes in search for the source, but instead widened them when a recognizable Roselia and Flygon burst from the crowd and began to run straight towards him like runaway trains. In fact, when they made contact, Raikou was thrown backwards and onto the ground as Jeff and Skyler pounced on him, their expressions reflecting the definition of joy. The Roselia accompanied this by wrapping his tiny arms around the exile's neck, rubbing his cheek affectionately against his, while Skyler hugged the thunder tiger's abdomen, tail wagging like crazy. Eventually, Raikou smiled once he regained his surroundings, returning the warm embraces his two friends were giving him.

Soon, they both stepped off, allowing him to return to his feet and continue his way to the front of the room as the Legendaries gestured him to do so. He emerged from the crowd, making eye contact with Atsila and Bouldarin as he passed them, watching them smile and nod as the Pokemon behind them exploded with cued cheer. Raikou could even feel himself smirk when he spotted Flame and Shadow amongst the group, the Absol leaning in to lick the Charmeleon's cheek, causing the emerald-eyed fire lizard to blush (although his red skin hid it well).

Raikou turned his head forward as he continued on, feeling himself grin with relief when he spotted none other than Mewtwo (who was partially busy from hugging his 'sister', Mew), Deoxys, Heatran, and Drendan standing nearby, eyeing him with gratefulness. The thunder tiger quickened his pace and ran up to them, hugging each one as a sign of thanks, their own congratulations on the whole situation pouring from their mouths in the midst of it. They eventually pointed to a certain phantom and metallic swan who were floating by Arceus' pedestal, in which Raikou nearly squeaked for joy when he recognized them as well.

"Darkrai! Cresselia!"

The thunder tiger rushed forward, coming up to the two counterparts. Darkrai had bandages wrapped around certain parts of his body, but apart from that, his glowing sea-green eyes and hidden smile signified his happiness towards the conclusion of the tale. Cresselia, on the other hand, had a motherly look gracing her own gaze as she floated forward when Raikou approached, craning her neck down so she could plant a soft kiss to the thunder tiger's forehead. "Thank you, Raikou," she then murmured as the exile blushed. "I would be lost without you – _we_ would be lost without you."

She floated aside to let Darkrai in, in which Raikou's blush dissipated and his smile returned almost instantly. The phantom leaned forward and brought the exile into a warm hug, all in the while of saying, "Thanks for looking out for my ass back there."

"When don't you need someone to look out for your ass?" Raikou then replied, teasing humor gracing his tone, and Darkrai pulled away, his expression displaying sudden annoyance.

"Bite me, kid."

However, just as fast as his eyes had narrowed, they loosened up and a laugh burst from his lips. He continued his brotherly hug with Raikou, in which the thunder tiger returned happily.

"Raikou…"

The voice that had called his name was strong and slow, filled with pride of an elegant being. Raikou exchanged a look with Darkrai, who turned around towards the source of the call, making eye contact with none other than Arceus as the God Pokemon stood tall upon his pedestal. At that direct moment, the cheering stopped, and every Legendary stumbled to take their places among the jury seats, in which Raikou could only stare bewilderedly as they did so. However, Darkrai seemed to catch what was going on, and therefore he floated away from Raikou, Cresselia doing the same, leaving the exile the only being standing right in front of Arceus' pedestal.

Just as he had been doing when he was exiled.

Raikou realized what was happening – Arceus wanted to talk to him about the war, possibly his contribution among it. Was he going to praise him like the other Legendaries did? Did the thunder tiger perhaps break another rule in the midst of trying to rescue them? Whatever it was, Raikou felt nervous despite the odds of it being something good. He had mental flashbacks of the day of his exile as he stared up into Arceus' golden eyes, the God Pokemon remaining silent, which added suspense to the already tense moment. A cough protruded from the jury seats, the Legendaries keeping quiet, while Atsila and the Pokemon army remained in the back alongside Raikou's closer allies, acting like the spectators in the court-like room.

Arceus let out an elongated sigh, his voice soon emerging from his lips like slow-moving water. If he was happy towards Raikou for anything, he was hiding it well with his intimidating countenance. "Raikou…as you know…the last time you stood in the place you are now, you were being put onto trial. Reasons were stated, and you soon found yourself exiled from the council permanently, which was due to your arrogance and the mistakes caused by it."

Raikou bowed his head, remembering it all. He found his mind soon drifting back to what Terotrey had said – about how all Legendaries were arrogant and therefore made unforgivable mistakes. However, at this thought, the exile felt his head rise so he could look at Arceus, feeling his next words pour out with meaning. "Terotrey Horrifiance wanted to create a better world, but yet he was willing to hurt so many to do so. However…" He turned his scarlet eyes to the army behind him, making eye contact with Heatran. "…even if he was evil…he was right."

The Legendaries gasped at this like offended people stating blasphemy. Arceus himself even arched his brow, although he didn't find Raikou's words at all backstabbing, but instead curious to know the reason why he said it.

Raikou sighed, ignoring the Legendaries. "I have made mistakes due to my arrogance; but yet, as Terotrey said, we all have." He began to wander his eyes over the jury, watching as the Legendaries' faces grew down with realization of the truthful matter. "You've all had your bickering; your fights; you needs to prove to your counterparts that you were better, and in the process accidentally hurt others. When thought about, you've all committed the grave mistake that I had." He returned his eyes to Arceus. "On the other hand, unlike Terotrey, I was told and still believe that forgiveness will always be there. Mistakes are made to be learned from, and I've learned not to let my arrogance blind me – to see matters in the viewpoint any other would instead of just in the eyes of a Legendary: to believe that just because I hold supreme power I can't make mistakes.

"Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone learns from them. Just because we're Legendaries doesn't mean we're different from normal Pokemon, or even humans. In fact, we talk, we have emotions, we laugh, we know how to have fun, we make friends, we even need hope at times" – he shot a friendly glance to Darkrai at this – "and we make mistakes. The best thing we can do is learn from them, and hope that the future will be better, like any individual would."

Needless to say, as Raikou's speech ended, every Legendary in the room exchanged both surprised and realizing glances. The army did the same, some with their jaws dropped at the philosophical hues the words had contained, while Mewtwo and the rest of the exile's closer allies only waited in tension for Arceus' response.

Speaking of which, the said God Pokemon's own eyes were slightly widened from Raikou's mature statements, although his gaze showed more support than shock. In fact, Arceus' expression soon contorted back into its serious one, his words coming out with deep mellowness. "Raikou…"

The thunder tiger tensed up.

"…you are right."

Raikou opened his eyes in surprise, looking up to the God Pokemon, who seemed to be keeping his own gaze away out of shame. "We've all committed the same mistake you have, and perhaps it was this very arrogance that prevented us from realizing until now.

"Raikou, in times of need, you have shown what it takes to be a Legendary – to be a hero. You've have also proven that the heroes of the world do not always have to rest on just the shoulders of a Legendary, but of the normal inhabitants as well." As if on cue, the Pokemon army smiled to one another, while Arceus continued. "Mistakes were meant to be learned from, and Raikou…you were the first to learn from ours."

The exile felt a smile begin to creep up his snout.

Arceus returned his eyes to the jury, his own smile beginning to form across his lips. "Forgiveness should always be considered, which is why...well. All on favor of Raikou becoming a Legendary once again, say 'aye'!"

To no surprise, Suicune spoke up first with the word, Entei, Darkrai, and Cresselia following, while soon, the other convinced Legendaries did the same. Mewtwo, Deoxys, Heatran, Drendan, Jeff and Skyler also agreed, Atsila and the army mirroring. Raikou could feel his smile grow big as his eyes wandered to all of the supporting Legendaries, amazed by the fact that every single organism in the room wanted him back on the team.

Arceus brought his eyes to Raikou. "Then it's settled."

Before the exile could respond, though, he felt himself being lifted into the air as blinding white light flashed from Arceus' eyes. Every Legendary, despite that they knew what was happening, gazed in awe at the sight, while the army and Raikou's closer allies allowed their own jaws to drop. Raikou felt a tingling sensation erupt throughout his body as Arceus returned his Legendary essence, power that had been absent before returning to his every sense. Soon, the thunder tiger made soft contact with the ground as Arceus awoke from the state he was in, now gazing upon Raikou with soft eyes, his next words coming out with friendliness.

"Welcome back, _Legendary_."

As if on cue, the other Legendaries exploded with cheer while Raikou grinned with glee upon realizing he was finally one of them again. Darkrai rushed forward, Cresselia following, and Mewtwo, Deoxys, Jeff, Skyler, Drendan, and Heatran came forward, picking the readmitted Legendary up altogether so he could gaze down at his allies with confidence. Arceus felt himself smile at the sight, the other Legendaries soon getting up and rushing forward to surround Raikou once again.

He was finally back.

He was finally home.

-ooo-

"So…have you heard that Arceus says we're gonna be considered Legendaries although we're technically not?"

Mewtwo blinked at the sound of Deoxys' voice. He turned around to face her, watching as she approached. The meeting room had grown calm after Raikou's return to the council, and now the Legendaries were spread out throughout the room, talking to one another as if they were now celebrating the ceremony with a small party.

The manmade Pokemon (or 'Legendary' now, as Deoxys stated) crossed his arms, eyebrow quirked. "Really now?"

Deoxys nodded. "Yup – something about us proving ourselves and that we can be considered one of them if we want to be."

Mewtwo could feel a smile grow across his snout, which was abnormal for him, although it was all because Deoxys being considered a Legendary assured one thing. "So," he began, trying his best to keep his voice as calm and emotionless as he was known to do, "does that mean you're going to stay here…on Earth?"

Deoxys scratched the back of her head, and when his words processed through her mind, her expression became that of a bewildered one. "Hmm…you didn't think I was going to stay even if I wasn't made a Legendary?"

The manmade Legendary stumbled from her sentence, realizing that she was nearly onto his envy for her to stay…with him. He quickly turned around, trying to hide his blush, mentally scolding himself for even having the ability to crack under pressure. He was Mewtwo! The supreme clone of all! He wasn't the type to stumble under the mere flick of embarrassment! He was better than that…

…sort of.

Okay, not really.

He escaped from his thoughts when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder, turning him around and allowing his eyes to come in contact with the ones of Deoxys, the short distance between them causing his face to heat up. "I'm not gonna leave…" she then softly assured. A warm laugh emitted from her. "You can't take care of yourself without me. Knowing you, you'll probably blow something up as soon as I escape the ozone layer."

"I will not blow-" Mewtwo began, offended; however, he was cut off by Deoxys when she brought him into a warm embrace, her head resting right below the edge of his shoulder. He blushed from the contact, but eventually found himself smiling as he returned the hug, resting his head on top of hers.

He may have had his intolerance when it came to 'softness'.

Mewtwo pulled away from Deoxys, who gazed at him lovingly as he was doing to her.

But, for her, he'd make an exception.

Besides, he needed _someone_ to look out for his big jug-like head.

-ooo-

Atsila smiled as he gazed upon his army, who were packing up to head back to Earth and return to their rightful clans. He was proud of all of them for displaying such bravery in battle, and although some were lost, their spirits would not be forgotten – he would make sure of that. His emerald eyes turned towards Raikou, who was talking to Suicune alongside the rest of his closer allies. The Charizard had spoken to the thunder tiger only minutes ago, stating that if he needed any help, then his clan would always be available for guidance.

The chieftain felt his eyes blink in surprise when he noticed a Rhydon come up to the side of him, gaze transfixed onto the army, which happened to consist of both of their clans' members. The Charizard remembered his feud with the stone Pokemon – on how they were brothers, but confusion and misunderstandings led to a war between their tribes that eventually convinced the Charizard to forget the family connection he had with the Rhydon. Of course, from the things he had learned that day – from the things stated by Raikou – he, for some reason, started to dislike having the relationship between them remain as a forgotten bloodline.

"It looks like you might have to plan a wedding soon," Bouldarin the Rhydon suddenly stated, causing Atsila to look at him with confusion. However, following his gaze, he saw his son, Flame, and Shadow the Absol stick out from the front of the group, enjoying each other's company. The Charizard felt himself smile at the sight – that Shadow had always proven herself to be a good friend to Flame, and all because she watched over him like his mother, Scalene, always did. Of course, now, it had grown to be more than just a family-like relationship between them – everyone saw that.

Returning to the topic of Bouldarin, though: Atsila knew the Rhydon was just trying to start a conversation out of the blue to possibly ease up the tension that had lingered around them ever since the start of their clans' war. Even with it 'solved', there was still much nervousness that existed when the two chieftains were in the same room. Then again, Atsila's mind kept returning to Raikou's moral.

Mistakes are made.

They are learned from.

And forgiveness is allowed.

Atsila returned his eyes to Bouldarin. "Perhaps our clans should feast together – to celebrate the outcome of the fight with Terotrey."

The Rhydon turned to look at the old Charizard, although, with his depression for various things still present, all he did was nod in agreement. Atsila felt slightly hurt at the sight, despite that he was sure he knew how to fix it, and did just that as he turned to walk the other way.

"Then I'll be looking forward to seeing you there, _brother_."

Bouldarin simply nodded, still seeming sad…

…that is, until his mind comprehended what Atsila had said.

Immediately his eye widened, and he quickly turned his attention to Atsila, mouth gaped. "You…you just called me 'brother'!"

Atsila laughed at Bouldarin's surprise of the matter, and turned his head to look at the Rhydon, emitting his response to the clan leader's implied question on why.

"Forgiveness should always be considered."

-ooo-

"So…it's finally over…" Suicune observed as she laid her head against Raikou's shoulder. The thunder tiger felt himself smile at the thought, glad that he was a Legendary again, and yet had convinced the council to attempt to avoid the mistakes they had made in the past. He felt like he had revolutionized the entire system, or something like that; he didn't really care at the moment. Instead, he just continued to nuzzle his lover, smile strong.

However, when his scarlet eyes wandered over to a certain lava toad that was in the midst of leaving, the thunder tiger turned to Suicune. "Uh, can you excuse me for a minute?"

Suicune smiled, nodding.

Raikou broke away and took off down the room until he came up to Heatran, ceasing the lava toad's movement by calling out his name. As the old exile, Drendan his trustworthy Lucario friend by his side, turned to face the approaching thunder tiger, he watched with curious eyes.

"Where are you going?" Raikou asked as he came closer and stopped.

Heatran turned to look at the door before returning his gaze to the thunder tiger. "Raikou…the Legendary council ain't no place for me anymore. Besides, Terotrey may be gone, but he still left a big mess behind back on Earth. It's going to take Drendan and I a while to clean it up."

"But you helped me!" Raikou replied, his grin returning. "Maybe if we talk to Arceus, he'll let you back on the council."

Heatran chuckled as a parent would if a kid mentioned something absurd, yet generous. The lava toad then brought his eyes to Raikou, who had cocked his head at his response. "Raikou, I told you; the Legendary council ain't no place for the likes of me. I've been on it for centuries, and now, to tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind a long vacation. And there's also Team Rocket. No doubt with Terotrey gone will Giovanni return sooner or later to fix the damage he did. We gotta make sure they don't do anything desperate."

"But-"

"Raikou, you taught me a lot. You showed me that it doesn't just take a Legendary to do something great. However, for me, the life of a Legendary is pretty damn hectic. I have to give you kudos for wanting to stick with it." He smirked, and Raikou smiled himself as he begun to understand. The lava toad turned to face the door. "Maybe, eventually, I'll return; maybe I won't. I just need some time to myself to think things over, you know? But hey…" He flashed a smile towards Raikou. "If you ever need someone to talk to, you know where I live. Just because you're a Legendary again doesn't mean you can't chat with a good old friend."

And with that, Heatran left, Drendan murmuring out a "See you later, Raikou," before following after the lava toad.

Raikou smiled, watching where Heatran used to be as Suicune, Entei, Darkrai, Cresselia, and Jeff and Skyler came up from behind him. "Thanks, Heatran," he muttered under his breath before turning to face his best friends and lover.

"So," Darkrai began, crossing his arms, a slight tone of hopelessness covering his voice. "It looks like with the way you're a Legendary again…you won't be bunking with me anymore. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted, even though it didn't last very long…"

Raikou smiled. "Come on, Darkrai, I can always just sleep over at your place every now and then."

"Yeah…" Darkrai replied, dragging the word out. "I don't do the sleepover thing. You know, since it's sort of like freeloading?"

Cresselia groaned from the side of him. "There you go again with that freeloading thing!"

"_What_?" Darkrai retorted, eyes narrowed. "If they're not paying me for giving them ground to walk on, then they can get the hell off!"

"Do you have to be so inconsiderate when it comes to simple Pokemon trying to find a place to stay for the night?"

"Yes. I. _Do_."

Cresselia snorted. "I don't even know why I'm in love with you. Seriously, I don't."

"Pfft, you say that now! I bet you two to one that you're going to want to get up _real_ close tonight."

"EW! Darkrai!"

"_What_? It's the truth! You know you can't resist me." He put on a seductive grin - until Cresselia smacked him right on one of his wounds. "OW!"

"That's what you get!"

Raikou and Suicune, ignoring the bickering between Darkrai and Cresselia as it continued on behind them, rolled their eyes at the situation before sneaking off unnoticed like Entei. As Jeff and Skyler ran off – no doubt to bother Mewtwo and Deoxys – Raikou turned to Suicune, nuzzling her one last time as they both gazed at the meeting room together.

"Are you glad to be back?" the water dog asked, resting her head on his shoulder once more. Raikou chuckled before licking her forehead, all in the while of softly emitting his response.

"Yeah…this is home."

_And it always will be…_

-ooo-

"You idiots! I swear I should throw you all down this blasted mountain!"

The grunts of Team Rocket winced at the sound of Giovanni's roaring voice. Not too long ago had he been let out of his prison state, finally able to take back the control of Team Rocket due to the fact that Terotrey was dead. Now he was watching over the betraying grunts as they struggled to recover any important data from the ruins of the Rocket base among the valleys of Sinnoh – aka the battleground where Terotrey was defeated. Needless to say, and he didn't say this often, but Giovanni was quite thankful towards the Legendaries for taking the aforementioned silver-haired scientist out.

The day was calm and cool, the sun shining, although the grunts were going through hell despite. They were all too scared to dare neglect Giovanni, seeing as how the said man's expression was drenched in hatred. Of course, the fact that his face was bruised up, him having to keep an icepack against his cheek, the intimidation of it all wasn't exactly as strong as it could've been.

"I said faster, you morons! Arceus, I should demote you all to janitors and then have you build more facilities so we have an excuse to have more damn janitors!"

Yeah…he was still pretty horrifying. The grunts didn't mind accepting him as their boss once again.

Giovanni snarled to himself, squishing the icepack against his face. Absentmindedly, he turned his eyes downward to look upon the sandy ground, and only to allow his brows to rise slightly at the sight of a small piece of metal sticking out of the dirt. With a decent amount of curiosity he leaned down and picked the palm-sized fragment up.

It looked like it was from a machine of a sort.

No…it wasn't just from _any_ broken machine. Giovanni could tell of this. It was from Terotrey's extraction machine.

The renewed boss of Team Rocket stared at it with narrowed eyes, remembering how Terotrey betrayed him. And, because of this, he soon tossed the piece behind him, snorting. "Good riddance," he muttered, walking away from it.

And the said fragment laid there, the winds allowing sand to cover it, soon disappearing beneath the ground.

Like a lost artifact.

Like a thrown-away memory.

Like a forgiven sin.

Like a forgotten legend.

-ooo-

* * *

**The End

* * *

**

Well, it's over. Thanks to those who reviewed and favorited, and all those who supported me through it.

See you guys next story!

...Or when the epilogue comes out. :3


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